The DigiHub FabLab Davao bagged 3rd Place in the Fabsiklaban Competition of the Fabrication Festival 4 (FabFest 4) hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry Region 7.
Focused on the theme, “Fabricating the New Normal”, DigiHub’s entry features the “Mirror Board”, an innovative device fabricated by the team to provide the teachers or instructors a tool that can help them adapt the new way of conducting their classes which are now done online.
Through the Mirror Board, teachers can easily discuss lessons which require a step-by-step process and demonstration for students to follow. Such instances include teaching Mathematics lessons which are usually discussed in a procedural manner like showing solutions to worded problems for students to better understand the topic. When the mirror board is installed, it reflects what’s on the keyboard. This works with zoom and any other online meeting applications as long as it is accompanied with built-in camera software of the laptop.
According to the DigiHub Team, the innovation was inspired by a post from a teacher who was using CDs and pencils to show how to solve a math problem.
“Upon seeing that post, we at DigiHub started to think how we can use the technology and equipment we have at the facility,” DigiHub FabLab Science Research Assistant, Jeremiah B. Bargio said. DigiHub-FabLab Davao is a collaborative project between the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI XI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST XI).
A total of 13 fablabs from all over the country showcased their innovative products to support the efforts in containing the spread of the virus. For the COVID-19 Response Innovations Category, FabLab Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISATU) was hailed as Champion for the Fabsiklaban while FabLab Cebu Technological University (CTU) – Tuburan claimed the second spot.
The competition was part of the three-day FabFest of DTI Region 7 in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCEN) held online on January 7-9, 2020. The event was aimed to discuss and promote the role and contributions of the fablabs in the local innovation ecosystem as well as how they responded with the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
