When I had a dream to create a human camera device, I collaborated or consulted from artist, engineers, product designer, fabricator, and even fashion designer. This is because the work comes across different disciplines. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see how different worlds work in the same digital common ground. Digital fabrication has made my imagination physical; digital allows other disciplines to complete the work together. When we have this digital playground, it is important for us to work openly and extend our communication to inspire each other. When we create something touches the world, the world will inspire us again. You and YouFab are to make your dream comes true and to motivate more dreamers.

YouFab is an exciting platform to foster creativity. Its awards support experimentation within the fields of art and design, something necessary to push people to take risks in their creative journeys

Digital fabrication is the starting point of a longer process in design. In some cases, the result is destined for art galleries, in others, it's for mass production. YouFab is the first step in creating a product and getting it manufactured. From there, it's a long road to getting it in the hands of customers, but it always starts with the first step. Good luck to everyone!

Fabcafe seeks to recognize the talent that "innovates innovation itself" by the design and creation of new products with the help of the latest technology the world has to offer. The Youfab Global Creative Awards allows for this to come to fruition, inviting everyone to expose their creativity and ideas through an enriching and supporting environment.

At the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, one of the best universities of Latin America and top recognized by employers, we constantly promote innovation and creativity. I would like to invite the international community to participate in the YouFab Global Creative Awards because we agree with the FabCafe philosophy on empreneurism and innovation. The world needs more than ever creative minds that can help transform our society for the better.

This is the age of "DIY Fab" - 3D printers, Laser Cutters, Bio hacking kits, Shenzhen, open software and hardware platforms, IoT, Blockchain, Lean, MVP, BLE, LoraWan, "the cloud" and more! At Safecast.org we daily experiment with all these ingredients, but we learned that the most powerful ingredient is the global community. Combining the physical and virtual with the power of community building is the real challenge. This year I hope to see many projects inspired with the power of the community!

We craft by hand or machine simply because we love to create. LAB by Dimension Plus has been dedicated to the experiment and development of fabrication and craft (Fab & Craft). We believe in the sentiment and intricacy of old style craft, but we also appreciate new media and digital tools at the same time. Fab and Craft are not in opposition to each other. The value of traditional craft needs to be preserved. As fab marries craft, a new form of making will be found.

Human make their idea or necessary come true by hands. According the past history, human created tools for improving industry and daily life. Now, the digital world is coming, we could create things by using these devices in many fields. YouFab2016 is a chance, which we can try to mix design, art, and technology together. I’m very looking forward to see many projects could be created and apply on the world.

The barriers dividing digital and physical fabrication are being torn down day by day. As new frontiers open up as a result of technology advancement in this area, I believe we should encourage and celebrate the creative possibilities that are arising.

Fab is a global phenomenon that requires a global community to sustain it, so please take part in YouFab.

By digitally bringing together many people from around the world into a competition, YouFab is helping forge this global community. YouFab seeks to exhibit and honor submissions that successfully combine art, science, and technology. I look forward to seeing the incredible ideas that come out of this!

Fab has already become a part of the infrastructure that connects the real world to the digital world. It’s a device that makes data real. This gives the power to convert the cutting edge of the digital world into reality. Creators around the world are realizing the possibilities and beginning to compete. We expect that YouFab will enable many bold and unique jumps.

It’s already time for the fifth YouFab. I’m looking forward to what kind of works will win prizes this year. This year the “Yamada Award” has been established as a special award. The award is not the goal. Rather, the plans stemming from this that will initiate new developments are progressing. Compared to four years ago, I am very excited to see what works will appear in the rapidly invigorating situation surrounding Fab. Let’s support all those that are researching the possibility of digital fabrication!

We are similarly placed in the environment that exists in the space between the heavens and the earth.

Solar energy, gravity, the rotations and revolutions of the earth.

What has happened between these up until now? And what will happen in the future?
I earnestly hope that a beautiful scene will spread out before the things people are capable of.
Let’s both imagine as people who live together in this age.

Digital fabrication is changing the way we create and express ourselves. The YouFab awards recognize projects that successfully navigate these new possibilities while fusing art, science and technology.

As we move towards a more a technologized society, many questions still emerge in relation to ‘humanlike-capacities of machine’ and ‘machine-like attributes of humans’. Furthermore, concepts like ‘non-human agency’ , ’human like machines’ , or ‘smart machines’ appeared and populated the discourse related to HCI, especially in the fields affiliated to arts and creativity. YouFab is a one of a kind instance not only to show cutting edge work in the field of digital fabrication but also to share experiences about making and how we use technology in a more integrated, natural and creative way what is nowadays practically ubiquitous to designers around the world.

Having cool tools to play with is helpful. Yet, even better is a supportive community encouraging everyone to play, to try things, too see what happens, for the shear joy of it. Learning, sharing, and growing in this way is the best!

Manufacturing by digital fabrication is getting even more diverse over time. In recent years, I think that the craft and digital fabrication industry are becoming similar because of the tools and materials used are similar even though the completed work may appear to be different. Just like how Kumiki is two parts combined to become one, I expect to see wood working, metal working, ceramics and world of digital fabrication combined!

“Digital” is a common language which connects various fields, generations andnumerous values and inter-disciplinary. I hope to see works which encourages imagination and awaken creations of the next generation.

In recent years, bio technology has been spoken across many fields. If you were to hear about Life Science, generally you would imagine some specialist experimenting in a closed lab. However, it is not always the case. There are things you cand do at home. Freeman John Dyson, who is a astrophysicist once said that future bio technology will soon be born in homes. Which is Basically indicating that there is a big possiblity in open-biology. The small little creatures which are often used in bio, has a lot of features one would never know unless trying to interact with it. By actually interacting with it, meanings one would discover a new perspective of life which would also connect to an ethical perspective. It is like connecting the dots. I hope to see an experiment which will question the border of life and non-life.

I work on traditional craft, especially on a hybrid of Japanese lacquer and digital fabrication.
I feel that there is a possibility of helping or extending a craft works to succeed to the next generation in an inconceivable way with Digital Fabrication technology.

I hope to see works which will shake up the value and concept of crafts.

What Pokemon GO has shown us is the new world created by the fusion of brain (=story) and information system. Often times, a singularity society is spoken with fear for how people and reality will change through the evolution of the information system. However, I feel Pokemon Go has shown us the creative alternative way (=path).

YouFab’s platform provides feeling of touch, playful mind and free creativity is showing a more creative one which is not distinguishing humans and artifacts. I believe it is providing us a new outlook of the world, just like Pokemon GO.

I expect a lovely surprise of creativity and craftsmanship for this year’s YouFab.

This year marks 100 years since the Dada movement in Zurich. As a revolt against the existing social codes of the time (such as language, society, and culture), Dada was the world’s first global art movement of its kind and responsible for further developing the collage technique. The Dadaist spirit is alive and well in today’s hacker culture, and we can also find traces of it in the Fab movement. Blurring the lines between analog and digital while creating opportunities to discover and make things with an array of materials. Fab is a dynamic stage for not only artists and programmers, but it also enables people from all walks of life to freely express themselves. It opens doors for collaboration between education, entertainment and other industries. As these relationships grow, we see more extreme forms of expression from each area, and it is these types of expressions with Fab that create exciting new opportunities for the future. We hope to see more of these opportunities moving forward.

The best kind of innovation is when you make the most elegant and irrational connection among ordinary objects, tools, pipelines, and aesthetics to make something refreshing and meaningful. This is your opportunity to play it loud and share your unique innovation with the world, can’t wait, I am popcorn ready!

People talks about Internet of Things but I think we should be talking about Internet of Life. We now live in digital age; finding best practices to bridge life and digital platforms together will hold the key to our connected future. Digital age attacks us big time. How shall we live with it; whoever offers the best of the bridge, we should explore and celebrate it. YouFab is right on!

The digital revolution in Design and Manufacturing has disrupted the nature of how things are made. Not too long ago the general public started paying attention and trying to make sense of this disruption. YouFab, the competition for digital fabricators, gives you the opportunity to use your power as a designer to unleash the innovation capabilities of these new digital fabrication technologies and show people around the world how to unlock their own capabilities and become part of this revolution.

YouFab2016 is looking to recognize and celebrate not only creative works themselves, but also new styles of creativity used to produce these works. Digital fab and creativity in the age of the IoT may very well be achieved by freely crossing over and combining the digital and physical realms. Not only can you enter products into YouFab 2016, but also projects and platforms executed by any number of people. We hope you’ll take up the challenge to create something outstanding and unprecedented!