Free Fab Labs in the city of São Paulo: an inclusive social experience or technological knowledge spillover and creativity in resource scarcity?

Abstract

This article promotes the experience of the largest network of public digital manufacturing laboratories in the world: the free Fab Labs in the city of São Paulo. This is a qualitative and exploratory study. As a primary data collection instrument, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the respective coordinators and content analysis, the validation of the MAXQDA software, as a research technique designed to formulate reproducible and valid inferences. In principle, Fab Labs result from the overflowing knowledge and simplification of the process of creating new products and/or services, based on the sharing of technological resources. In developed countries, they are considered the locus of entrepreneurship and innovation. Given the asymmetries, this study proposes to investigate what is the premise that bases the adoption of Fab Labs in emerging countries. The results, in this case, point to the vision of the free Fab Labs as an alternative to unemployment, and as a creative space open to the citizen.They are also realized  as a socially inclusive environment. Besides that, they are seen as a potential opportunity, albeit embryonic, through workshops of "do-it-yourself", practices defy the enthusiasm of a new generation of technological entrepreneurs as well. However, the logic of limitations should not interfere with the continuity of activities in 2018.