Making requires a very specific environment and takes extra effort when visiting another country. As it’s been challenging to make steady progress without super duper craftiness, it’s gotten me thinking about what resources and support need to be available for myself and the teams I work with to develop prototypes but also for entire communities.
For some context, I am in Finland for several months under a Fulbright grant. It’s too short a period to accumulate many tools and materials but too long a time to not build anything!
1 - ORDER VS. DISORDER
I’ll start with what’s required for my usual hardware projects:
space to make a mess (and noise)
time to complete a project (and clean up!)
tools tools tools…tools (a crappy soldering iron is better than none at all)
well-stocked local hardware stores
A lot of this is directly opposed by European Orderliness (or in this context, “Euro-pooin”):
Finland (and most of northern Europe) is pretty tidy. Seems like everything is designed to fit and assembled with something else, like Legos or Ikea (both Scandinavian). I am having difficulty finding materials for prototyping— things that can be cut and joined amorphously... Let’s digress, these are things I cannot find here in any hardware store, art store, or craft store:
Wooden Dowel rods of various sizes
Wooden sheets (Balsa, Bass, ply, etc…)
Spring Wire “music wire”
Fiberglass supplies, let alone carbon fiber
Poster board
Imperial Fasteners
Lots of Saunas, not a lot of screws in this Finnish ‘Hardware’ store
I suppose some of it is the social organization- Here a person may not be encouraged to ‘repair’ or ‘DIY’ because there is a dedicated person to do that in society. In fact, you may be regarded as depriving them of a job function. In the US, we have a smattering of ‘repair companies’ that may have varying levels of competence or just told ‘if it’s broke, buy a new one’.
2 - HITHERTO UNAPPRECIATED FACTORS
I’ve begun interviewing startups and tech companies in Finland about innovating and their perspectives on it.
These are other important factors I had not previously considered:
Expedient online retail (i.e Amazon prime, ebay)
USA has been spoiled by free 2-day shipping. The soonest a soldering iron or stepper motor can deliver is 7-10 business days since the nearest Amazon warehouse is in Germany.
Customs
The extra step of clearing customs is a big delay. Even shipping intra-Europe is challenging. Again, this slows the orders from Amazon germany but also tools and supplies I’ve shipped from the US. Although it may be a ‘gift’ or ‘removal goods’ it still takes weeks of dialogue to get it cleared.
Some goods such as Lithium batteries and large motors have extra scrutiny which can really slow prototyping in the case of the Finnish Electric Snowmobile company (Aurora Powertrains) I interviewed in February.
Community
Tech hubs and incubators are growing here in Finland. This is a major European Tech hub I met with in Helsinki: https://maria.io/
Libraries: would you have guessed libraries could offer 3D printers, computer labs, recording studios, craft shops and seminar spaces? It’s incredible to see that such resources are easily accessible by the public. This my new favorite library, in Helsinki: https://www.oodihelsinki.fi/en/services-and-facilities/facilities/
Makerspaces: There is a growing maker movement throughout Finland. They are all unified and pushing in many different cities. Here’s my nearest one: https://jyvaskyla.hacklab.fi/en/blog/
We’re living in Finland for 6months. It’s too short to acquire a lot of tools, supplies, and make big messes and It’s too long for me to not build things.
I’ve had to cull the projects I’m taking on. Rather than my more recent high-powered vehicles, it’s more containable like 3D printed robots, UAVs, and some tech for the winter. To be fair, there’s so much I’ve learned and appreciate about the social structures here and there are many other facets of life are more sensible here than back home in the US!