Urban Smart Manufacturing & Innovation Challenge

The first challenge for high school students in China!

The Fab City Challenge Shenzhen was a pioneer in many aspects. It was the first Fab City Challenge spin-off hosted and organized outside of the annual event, as well as the first program of its kind for students in China. The team hoped this event would be the first of many in Shenzhen and worldwide, using the challenge methodology to engage innovation communities in solving local issues. The initiative aimed to showcase the impact of the Fab City Challenge methodology on local grassroots communities, leveraging global knowledge to create local solutions. This brief article provided an overview of what the Fab City Challenge Shenzhen entailed.

A challenge for Students

The Fab City Challenge Shenzhen 2024 invited high school students aged 15–18 who were enthusiastic about societal issues and future innovations. Participants had a keen interest in fields such as Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Public Administration, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Automation, Bioengineering, Interaction Design, Communication Design, Sustainable Design, and Business. This diverse participant profile provided a rich, multidisciplinary approach to addressing real-world challenges, fostering a collaborative environment where young minds explored, innovated, and shaped their academic and professional futures.

Challenge partners

The Fab Island Challenge Shenzhen gathers support from local collaborators.

Accessibility Research Association, Chaihuo Makers, Shenzhen International Foundation College, Fab City Foundation

Previous challenge participants

Challenge theme

Accessible Assistive Technology

This challenge explored how accessible assistive technology could reduce barriers for people with disabilities in using technological tools. Across the nation, over 50 million individuals with disabilities faced challenges in travel, employment, and the use of electronic tools. Over the past decade, the Accessibility Research Association had worked with government departments, businesses, and the disabled community to create accessible tools and establish industry standards to address these issues.

Local Host: Accessibility Research Association

Outcome

From July 26 to August 4, 2024, the Fab City Challenge High School pilot took place in Shenzhen, bringing together 10 students and mentors to form three teams focused on urban accessibility. With guidance from experts and access to Fab Lab resources, they conducted field research in Nantou Ancient City and collaborated with the Accessibility Research Association to shape their projects.

• Touchable Team: Created a customizable braille navigation system for shopping malls using 3D-printed labels, after simulating the experience of visually impaired shoppers.
• Long Leg Team: Worked with visually impaired engineer Shen Guangrong to produce a video series on inclusive public life called "100 Challenges for Visually Impaired People," with their first video gaining 2,000 views.
• Tangible Compass Team: Designed a wearable navigation device using Arduino, GPS, and tactile feedback, praised by experts for its innovative solution to outdoor directional challenges for visually impaired users.

The Tangible Compass Team later presented their project at Chinese CHI 2024, strengthening the academic profile of team member Lillian Wen.

Mentors

The Fab City Challenge Shenzhen had a team of twelve mentors with diverse backgrounds to support the students during the journey of co-creation.