TechShop San Francisco
Invention Workshop for Do-It-Yourselfers
TechShop states that their program is for everyone, regardless of their skill level. I’m not so sure about that. If you’ve ever watched Tim Allen’s Home Improvement, or Bill Cosby’s character, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, happily strap on a tool belt and create utter chaos, then you’ll know that some people should be legally barred from involvement in do-it-yourself projects.
However, some human beings learn best by using a hands-on approach to experiment and experience ideas firsthand. Their aptitudes include spatial skills; an ability to visualize projects and problems using a 3-D aptitude. Traditional classroom learning can sometimes cause difficulties for three-dimensional thinkers.
TechShop provides access to every tool, machine, and production process that one can imagine; from industrial to robotic, plastics, or woodworking. The membership organization allows its members to use their equipment to develop inexpensive prototypes for potential business ideas.
TechShop could prove an invaluable resource for the right people.
References
Learning to Use Your Aptitudes. Dean Trembly, The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation Inc. 1995.