MakerCamp
Hi! I’m Willa, a PhD student from the University of Chicago. My research focuses on empowering people to easily augment and enrich their everyday environments. In my research, I develop hardware devices, and I’ve long wanted to explore and exploit the Shenzhen electronics market and its incredible ecosystem.
Paradise for Hardware
Being in Shenzhen feels like paradise for hardware!
On a surface level, it’s incredible to be able to see actual components in person and find experts (store owners!) to learn from. It was quite an eye-opening experience. For example, I was trying to find some small batteries and connectors, and boom, here’s a whole family of them:
Imagine having a robotics company right at HQB (there are already tons), where you can just walk into a store, see the actual component size, and feel it in your hands. (Guess how many of us are robots in this picture below at HQB)
Cool People and Vibrant Communities!
Another great thing about Shenzhen is the hardware community itself, which naturally leads to resources and opportunities down the line. Talking to one person often turns into “oh, I know someone who does that.” I really enjoy going to these meetups and feeling the vibrancy of the ecosystem. It was also great to meet so many interesting people spanning researchers, artists, entrepreneurs, or just cool folks working on personal projects they’re genuinely excited about.
Some Really Cool Places
Factories
It was cool to see the streamlining process in the factories. Some factories have a higher level of automation than others.
The Marisfrolg Headquarters
It’s not yet open to the general public (though they said it will be). It’s the craziest architectural complex I’ve ever seen.
Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society (AIRS)
I was especially impressed by the cable and bridge inspection robots, and by how closely they’re grounded in real-world challenges.
Art Exhibitions
My Making and Exploration
Lastly, during my stay here, my goal is to upgrade one of my research prototoype. The process works for one or few pieces of replication but is far from scalable. The project I’m basing this on is a paper to be published at CHI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790357
My main goal is to make a soft blade for capacitive sensing. The blade needs to be very soft and safe to touch even while spinning at high speed. One great thing about making this in Shenzhen is being able to quickly test and iterate on material softness.
The shipping speed and iteration cycle here are incredibly fast.
I was also able to source a variety of conductive soft materials on Taobao:
For more project updates, please visit my website willayang.com.
Thank you x 1000
I’d like to say thank you to ScalableHCI, SUSTECH, AIRS, and Seeed for hosting such a fun visit and program in Shenzhen! Thank you to Seungwoo, Zinn, and Cedric for organizing.
A huge shoutout to Cedric, the soul of this program! None of this would have been possible without his leadership. He’s been constantly taking care of the entire group — from organizing so many fun events and coordinating everyone’s schedules to helping with hotel bookings, sending reminders, and handling a million other things behind the scenes. He’s also been a bridge to the amazing communities and resources here, bringing together diverse and inspiring people from all kinds of backgrounds. I had a truly amazing experience and would love to come back again!