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Wim Van Gool (38) is someone who can’t sit still. In his day job, he’s a project manager at Dekimo, where he works on electronics development. One evening a week, he heads to Area 3001, his hackerspace at FabLab Leuven. On top of that, he’s also part of the organizing team for the biennial Fri3d Camp, a family-friendly summer camp for hackers. And as if that weren’t enough, Wim also runs the company Phyx with his brother, where he sells some of his projects and also designs on request.

What originally brought you to FabLab Leuven?

I ended up here while pursuing my master’s degree in electronics and ICT, as I was working on my thesis. At the time, I designed a complete home automation system, a system that controls the lighting and other devices in your home. My advisor, Koen Buys, told me that FabLab could be useful for the test system and for building the casing. That’s how I ended up walking in here one day. At the time, I was living in a dorm in Leuven and missed having the tools I used to have at my parents’ house. Thanks to FabLab, I still had a workshop, a place where I could tinker.

Why did you decide to build your own home automation system?

A home automation system is a way to bring intelligence into your home. There were many professional providers, but they were all very expensive. There also wasn’t a single one that offered something you could build yourself. As a student, I saw a gap in the market, so I created a home automation system that you could assemble entirely on your own. I created a kit for hobbyists.

What surprised you about your experience at FabLab?

What surprised me most was that many people had the same approach as I did and wanted to share their knowledge. 3D printing, for example, is a world I’m not familiar with, but Marc and Thomas are. If I don’t know how to do something, they help me right away. Although I don’t actually know much about 3D printing, several of my 3D models are now on display in the cabinet at FabLab. One of them is a little box shaped like my heart. That’s the ring box I used to propose to my wife. Using MRI images, I was able to reconstruct my heart. I then adapted that design into a box that I could 3D print.

Did FabLab change the way you think?

Yes. I think especially in terms of the accessibility of technology, how important it is to make complex technology accessible enough so that anyone can use it. A long time ago, Marc and I went to Madrid, along with other representatives from FabLabs. There, it became clear that while there are plenty of machines, the main challenge lies in ensuring that people actually know how to use them.

Has FabLab made a difference in the path you’ve taken?

Yes, a specific problem when it came to user-friendliness was soldering. Soldering is a precise task, but even a four- or five-year-old can do it. Unfortunately, a kit to teach a child how to solder cost 10 to 15 euros. That was expensive, and had to be cheaper. That’s why I started making soldering kits myself. At first, the kits were very simple, just a silly little face with two LED lights and a battery. It did the trick. You learned how to solder with it. But I wanted to make something cooler, so I designed little airplanes with lights that kids have to assemble themselves. That way, they also get something they can play with, instead of it just ending up in the back of a cabinet. That’s how the ball got rolling. In the meantime, I’ve also designed a Space Shuttle at the request of an American online store. Those kits have even made their way to a German company that’s involved in space travel.

This year, I’ve surpassed the twenty-thousand mark for soldering kits. I produce and sell them through my company, Phyx, mainly in bulk. My margin on the kits is very low, because the goal isn’t to make a profit. The aim is to teach kids how to solder. I do have an online store to show people what kits we have, but I set the prices absurdly high because I don’t want them to buy directly from me. I’d rather draw things than spend time packing and shipping. That’s why I offer a huge discount when someone buys in large quantities. It’s just a lot less work for me that way. I have a full-time job, so making money from this doesn’t really interest me. What interests me is the side effect: that lots of kids learn to solder and that many people can work with it. That’s what I enjoy about it. I don’t run Phyx from a commercial standpoint. It’s truly a labor of love. When I design something on request, I also offer a discount if I’m allowed to publish it online. That way, everyone can make use of it.

What has FabLab brought you?

At a certain point, I was no longer a student and couldn’t go to FabLab anymore because I was working during the office hours. Some like-minded people who also lived nearby were facing the same problem. We really wanted to use the facilities after hours. That’s how the idea of starting a hackerspace came about. Hacking isn’t what people think it is. It just means using something for a purpose other than what the manufacturer intended. We are, however, a very atypical hackerspace. Traditionally, a hackerspace is a place where the door is always open and anyone can walk in. We can’t do that because we’re located in a KU Leuven building. New members often join by invitation. We also charge a membership fee, but that’s only to help cover the cost of drinks and chips. Our agreement with FabLab is that we’re allowed to use the machines, and in exchange make something for them every now and then, but that’s fun to do.

What do you work on in the hackerspace?

We work on a wide variety of projects. For example, we recently started working on a thermal printer from the discount retailer Action that only works with the manufacturer’s app on your phone. That printer does exactly the same thing as a normal printer, but it’s much cheaper. We wrote our own software for it so you can just use it with your computer. We also do more tangible things. For example, we held a Power Tool Drag Race. In that race, power tools like a sander, a grinding wheel, and a drill have to cover a certain distance as fast as possible. The most important thing to us is that we always have fun.

It’s not like we always work together as a whole group. That wouldn’t work anyway, because not everyone comes every week. There are about thirty of us in total, but the core group consists of about eight people. On a really busy day, there are about fifteen of us. The idea is that we work on things together and help each other out. We make sure that we work for the common good rather than on private products to market. Or, if you’re going to market something, that it’s open source, and that you make the plans available.

One of my favorite projects we work on is making the badge for Fri3d Camp. The badge is a piece of programmable electronics with sensors and a screen that every visitor receives at the start of the festival. Making that badge takes a lot of time, but I always really enjoy it. The development process takes about eighteen months. The biggest challenge in designing that circuit board is making it visually appealing and interesting while staying within a tight budget. On top of that, it takes a lot of soldering and fiddling to get all the badges ready.

What exactly is Fri3d Camp?

Fri3d Camp is a hacker camp for families. Over time, it has evolved into a place for making and creating. STEM and STEAM education play a major role there. We’ve noticed that many families have children with a strong interest in making things, but there aren’t many opportunities for them. All 640 tickets this year were sold purely through word of mouth. At Fri3d Camp, we don’t organize anything ourselves, we just facilitate. We make sure there are tents, materials, electricity… that sort of thing. The visitors bring their own content and lead workshops on topics they want to share. At our camp, passionate people share their knowledge with one another. Most of the sessions are geared toward children, but in the evenings there are also sessions aimed at adults, such as someone explaining how to get the most out of a dynamic electricity contract. Over the course of the weekend, about 150 sessions are led by our visitors.

Where does your interest in making technology accessible (to children) come from?

I suspect that it’s because my father was the principal of an elementary school with a limited budget. The annual budget for IT was 2,000 euros, which is practically nothing. That had to cover buying computers, setting up internet access, and keeping everything running. It was a challenge. My student job was making sure all year round that the IT infrastructure stayed up and running at my father’s school. I never had any other summer jobs. My uncle had a computer store filled with containers of old computers that were being thrown away. I took those discarded computers apart, sorted the parts, and pieced them together to make working computers again. Even back then, my goal was to ensure that as many children as possible were able to use a computer.

Kamiel developed wireless robotic flowers: “The idea is that other researchers can easily replicate them, so everyone can build on each other’s work.”

Kamiel Debeuckelaere (32) won the Flemish Thesis Prize in 2021 for his master’s thesis in which he developed wireless robotic flowers to support his supervisor’s research. He now uses those flowers himself as an FWO PhD student in the Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation department at KU Leuven, where he conducts fundamental research on bumblebees.

Kamiel:My master’s thesis. That was five years ago. At the time, I ended up working with Maribel Pozo, a Spanish postdoc, now a professor, who conducts research on bumblebees and pollination. Her work focuses primarily on the properties of nectar and how they affect pollinators. This kind of research often involves observing bumblebees on flowers and recording observations, or making videos that you can review later. Maribel was looking for a way to automate that process. She turned it into a master’s thesis in the hope that a student would take it on. That student turned out to be me. The thesis description sounded fun, although I hadn’t really considered how technical it would be. I think she deliberately left that out. Otherwise, she might not have found a biology student crazy enough to take it on. For my thesis, I first sought help from the ICTS department at KU Leuven. There, together with Dirk Janssens, I figured out the electronics for the robot flower. For the assembly and the casing, he advised me to check out FabLab. I really wanted to 3D print, but I’d never done it before.

What exactly was the robot flower project?

Kamiel: Some simpler robotic flowers already existed. We wanted to make them a bit more complex so they could automatically detect whether a bumblebee was inside the flower and how long it stayed there. With the current version, we can even identify which specific bumblebee it is based on a tag on its thorax. We also wanted the robotic flowers to automatically dispense nectar. Natural flowers contain very little nectar, only a few microliters. Artificial systems often have a large reservoir, which discourages bumblebees or other visitors from moving between different flowers. So we needed a system that automatically replenishes the nectar in very small amounts. We also found it important to have a wireless system so the flowers could easily be placed anywhere, such as in a greenhouse for experiments. Power-wise, that’s simple, you just need to insert a battery. The main challenge was data transmission. We wanted to be able to view the data in real time during the experiments. To do this, we placed a small antenna in the flowers that works with Internet of Things (IoT). It uses very little energy because it operates via radio signals and does not use Wi-Fi. The data is sent to an antenna in small data packets every ten minutes. The university has several antennas in Leuven that receive these packets and then transmit the data to your computer via the internet. This way, you can see what’s happening in real time, as well as whether there are any issues with, for example, the flower or the battery.

At FabLab, I assembled all the parts of the flower and was able to use a good soldering iron. I then made the flower casings using the 3D printer. During the year that I worked on my master’s thesis, I made twenty robotic flowers, so that was quite a bit of work.

What surprised you about your experience at FabLab?

Kamiel: I was most surprised by how friendly everyone was. I didn’t know anything when I first got there. I’d walked past FabLab many times before and thought it looked cool, but I always assumed it was for engineering students or architects who needed to make models. It never occurred to me that it was for everyone. My thesis gave me the push I needed to finally go inside. You can just walk in there and do your thing. The first time, I had arranged to meet up with Marc and Thomas. I’d never 3D printed before. They explained everything to me and helped me get started. I could ask them anything at any time.

Did FabLab change the way you think?

Kamiel: Yes, whereas we used to put together more makeshift setups, I now easily think: I can actually make it exactly the way I want, so that the setup looks nicer and is always consistent. When you put things together yourself, there’s always some variation. Now it looks more professional. Colleagues often think: Is that really necessary? Can’t we just recycle something and put it together ourselves? But then I think: if we can 3D-print it, why not? My PhD supervisor, Tom Wenseleers, also goes to FabLab now to make test setups. Recently he printed a piece of honeycomb there for an experiment with queen larvae.

Has FabLab made a difference in your work and the path you’ve taken?

Kamiel: Definitely. The robotic flowers I made at FabLab have brought me a lot, let’s put it that way. Not just in my master’s thesis, where I created the flowers, but also in my PhD, where I’m actually using them now. Without FabLab, I simply wouldn’t have done any of what I’ve done so far. 3D printing has even become one of my hobbies. I’ve now bought my own printer so I can experiment even more, but without FabLab, I would never have gotten into it.

What has FabLab brought you?

Kamiel: Without FabLab, I don’t think I would have won the Thesis Prize for my master’s thesis. Although I do put it into perspective. It’s just an award for the best thesis in Flanders, at least according to the jury and based on the theses that were submitted. But it’s still a nice recognition. I also wouldn’t be pursuing a PhD without FabLab. I received a personal PhD fellowship from the Flemish government. Being able to bring my 3D-printed robot flower was a nice bonus that helped convince the jury of my project. I’m pursuing my PhD through the FWO, with KU Leuven as my host institution.

How do you see the future of your wireless robotic flowers?

Kamiel: That’s a good question. I built them, but they belong to KU Leuven. So I have to leave them here after I finish my PhD. I can easily make new ones, of course, but officially they have to stay here. They might be used for a new project by someone else. People have asked me if I’d like to patent them, but they’re not thát special. I think an engineer could make them ten times better. It could all be made more compact, but I specifically designed it this way so people without experience could also replicate them themselves. That’s the concept. The idea is that other researchers can also easily use the robot flowers. That’s the best part about it. It’s also the philosophy of FabLab. Anyone can use it, and I’d be more than happy for them to do so. A while back, I saw a paper from the US that used my flower as inspiration and built a mechanical crab spider on it. That’s cool to see. I’ve also drawn inspiration from Finnish researchers myself. My robot flower is actually a new, wireless version of theirs. Everyone builds on each other’s work.

I’m using the robotic flowers to conduct fundamental research on bumblebees. It’s learning for the sake of learning, seeing how everything works. But later on, this could lead to practical applications or certain concepts, potentially on how to protect bumblebees. The jury for the Flemish Thesis Prize had the idea of turning it into a citizen science project. But that’s still a step further. It’s not as simple as they thought. For now, it’s not technically possible anyway, but I’m also not sure how informative it would be with the current version. It is, however, a further step that can be considered.

How do you see your own future?

Kamiel: I don’t know yet. That’s a tough question. I really enjoy research, but the academic world is tough, and I don’t know if there’s a place for me. It’s like a pyramid. With every step you take upward, there’s less room. On top of that, the government is constantly cutting funding for science, so there are fewer and fewer grants, and the competition is getting very intense. Above all, I want to find a job I enjoy, one where I can combine biological research with the fun little projects I’ve discovered through FabLab. I’d love to contribute ideas, help out, and build things for experiments. That doesn’t necessarily have to be within the academic world. Most of all, I want to be able to combine everything.

Do you have any advice for students who want to create something?

Kamiel: I’d say: just go for it. Everyone at FabLab is super friendly. I think they’re open to anything, or at least to a lot of things. So if you have a wild idea, go for it. You’ll learn as you go, at FabLab and with a few YouTube tutorials, you can get pretty far. And with AI, it’s only getting easier. Code that would otherwise have taken you a week to write now gets written for you in no time. Anything is possible. Once you get started, it also becomes easier and easier.

What does a makerspace actually do to the people who pass through it? We’re starting a series of interviews to find out. First up: two former student workers who met at FabLab Leuven and now run a business together. This is the first in a series of interviews with FabLab Leuven users. No PR, just an honest attempt to understand what a place like this does to people — in their own words. Next month: another conversation, another path.

Femke Maris (25) and Lowie Goossens (26) met each other in Fablab Leuven, where they worked as students for several years. They have since started a business together: Lofenix. In 2021, less than a year after founding their company, they won the Audience Award at the LE(J)ON Award for young entrepreneurs in Leuven under their former name STEM Support. Aside from that, Femke teaches STEM and math at a high school and Lowie works as an engineer in the steel industry.

What originally brought you to FabLab Leuven?

Femke: I attended one of the first summer camps myself. I studied STEM in school. Since we didn’t have the materials, we’d sometimes come to FabLab, which is how everyone got to know me again. I was then asked if I wanted to lead summer camps. I started working at FabLab as a volunteer and student worker when I was 16. When I continued my studies in Leuven, I also started working here throughout the year.

Lowie: I ended up at FabLab as a civil engineering undergraduate. I used to come here often for school projects, but also for other smaller projects. With the things available here, there were plenty of opportunities to work on cool projects. I came here because of my studies, but I actually spent more time at FabLab in my free time than I did to work on my school projects.

What were your first projects?

Femke: For me, it was the summer camps. I helped the kids make things like keychains, clocks, and their own 3D projects. Since I had attended the camp myself and visited FabLab with my school, I was already familiar with the materials. I also came by every so often for my own little projects.

Lowie: My first projects were P01 and P02, the project courses in the civil engineering program. We were assigned to straighten a steel tube using Lego and to build a machine that shoots ping-pong balls. The parts I designed for that, I laser-cut at FabLab.

What surprised you most about that experience?

Lowie: Basically anything was possible. That’s what surprised me the most. You had to come up with your own ideas, but then whatever you came up with could be printed or made, and they gave you advice. In that way, FabLab opened up a whole world of possibilities.

Femke: That’s true. Even now, when I run into a small problem in my daily life, I sometimes just send a message and then it turns out there’s a 3D print for it. So then you just have to print it and your problem is solved. A small example: I was bothered by the trash bag rolls in my cupboard. I’m someone who likes things to be organized. I can’t stand it when everything’s a mess. So I went looking and found a 3D design for holders in which you can place those rolls. I printed them, and now, when I open my cabinet, my three rolls of trash bags are neatly sitting there, instead of me having to search for them through the mess.

Lowie: We have a lot of those things. For example, we also have a special soap dish and an organically designed coaster for plants.

Did FabLab change the way you think?

Femke: It opens up new perspectives. By spending so much time at FabLab, you start looking at solutions differently. Even in everyday life. You begin to think outside the box. There has to be a solution, whether it’s with the laser cutter or with a 3D printer.

Lowie: Yes, it actually opened up “the box”. Whereas you’d normally get stuck in your ideas because something isn’t possible, FabLab is the opposite. You get there and you’re presented with possibilities. No one’s going to tell you you have to do it, but you get the chance to do it if you want to.

Femke: At FabLab, the motto is: Try it. If it doesn’t work, try again. That means you never have to be afraid to come up with an idea. You can always try.Sometimes it really doesn’t work and you hit a wall. Or it works, but just needs a few tweaks. The great thing about FabLab is: it’s like getting a big box of Legos, toys you can use to combine different things into a big, new thing.

Has FabLab made a difference in your professional life and the path you’ve taken?

Lowie: Yes, I graduated with a civil engineering degree in computer science. The typical career path for someone with that background is to work for large software companies or organizations that focus purely on software. Not me, I went in a more practical direction and ended up in the heavy metal industry. The experience at FabLab comes in handy there, especially the project-based thinking and the method of approach. The experience with identifying problems is also super important to me. Finding the root cause of a problem and looking at it broadly to come to a suitable solution.

Femke: FabLab empowers you to actually do things. I’m a math teacher, but I don’t just teach math. I also share 3D drawing insights and encourage them to think out-of-the-box. I often develop new materials for my lessons. When I teach solid geometry, for example, I bring a 3D-printed or laser-cut model that I made myself. That way, my students see that you can really just do it yourself. I also try to share with them what FabLab has taught me: that it’s okay to make mistakes. You can only learn from them. Sometimes you even have to dare to make mistakes to know what can be improved. I also teach them not to give up so easily. I notice that a lot with young people. If something doesn’t work out, they think, ‘Who cares, the teacher will figure it out.’ That’s not how it works. With the Fablab-mindset I encourage them to keep trying. That’s the only way to get the farthest in life. I really try to instill that in them.

You two have also started a business together: Lofenix. How did that come about?

Femke: When we were both still studying, we founded STEM Support. There’s no manual for teaching STEM in schools, and many teachers have questions. That’s why we started selling various STEM projects, some of which we refined or helped design during the FabLab summer camps. At some point, we also started making vertical farms (climate chambers) at FabLab. That was by far our biggest project ever.

Lowie: Those climate chambers started out as small cabinets with a few LED strips and sensors inside. We made three models out of wood and then switched to metal. A professor of bioengineering asked us if we could make larger ones. We built six giant chambers for him, which I believe are now being used quite intensively for research.

Femke: We realized that it was becoming too much to just sell STEM projects, so we changed our name. With Lofenix, we still sell STEM projects, but we also take on engineering projects. Those vertical farms are one example, but we’ve also designed sensors that are now installed in Kouterbos (a forest) in Oud-Heverlee. They measure air pressure, humidity, and temperature so you can digitally determine the optimal walking route. We develop solutions based on requests or on someone’s interest and may or may not incorporate an educational component. We’re now also going to offer study guidance through Lofenix. We also continue to support schools where needed. For example, if schools don’t have a 3D printer but still want to print something, they can do so through us. We also offer workshops. In practice, these mainly attract teachers, but we’re noticing that it’s also becoming a team-building trend. Going laser cutting, soldering, or 3D printing together turns out to be a nice change from going bowling or golfing.

Lowie: FabLab made our business possible. Without it, we simply wouldn’t have been able to do it. At least not in this sector.

Femke: FabLab still plays a support role today, for example when we need advice. And the fact that we’re allowed to use the laser cutters from time to time ensures that we can always help everyone.

Where does your passion for STEM come from?

Lowie: Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to build and create things. I was very STEM-oriented, so that just never really changed. In high school, it was harder to keep doing those things because places like FabLab aren’t everywhere, especially not in smaller towns. But in university, you get the chance to go to FabLab, and that’s how it grew again.

Femke: I’m naturally creative. I used to do a lot of crafts, drawing, and coloring. In high school, I chose to really challenge myself by studying STEM, to develop and build things. That’s when I really got involved with FabLab, but I was already really fascinated by that summer camp I did. The spark was always there for me. It never went away. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here anymore.

As student workers, you both led camps (for kids between 12 and 16). What was that like?

Femke: Since the camps last a week, we have a week to help and guide those kids. If something doesn’t work out, kids easily get stuck in a negative spiral. But when they do succeed, they have a sense of accomplishment. We make sure to highlight those moments. Those little successes encourage the kids to keep trying and to keep going just a little bit further. By the end of the camp week, they’re usually independent, and we’re sometimes left twiddling our thumbs.

Lowie: That’s especially true of the last two days of camp. That’s when they’re given a bit more freedom. We give them lots of examples of what they can make, but they often develop their own ideas. Every year, there are some amazing things they create.

Femke: Everyone is creative in their own way. I love being a part of that.

Is everyone capable of creating a finished product at FabLab?

Femke: I think so.

Lowie: They do have to be interested in it, though.

Femke: Yes, but in principle, anyone can get there. Even if it’s just a small problem for which they come up with a solution. I’m convinced that everyone is creative. Interest obviously plays a role, but sometimes you can also push that a little. Especially in education. At that age, their brains aren’t fully developed yet, you can still shape them. Sometimes kids just need a little nudge.

What’s the reason you’ve kept coming back to FabLab yourselves?

Femke: The atmosphere. The laughter and having fun together. That has really grown over the years. As a student worker in summer, you already notice that this is such a close-knit group and that you’re allowed to be part of it. They don’t exclude you. They embrace you, guide you, and brainstorm with you. That makes you want to come back. The people here are great. And it’s never with a long face. If you’re facing a problem or feel stuck, there are always people who’ll help you figure it out. They help you regain a broader perspective. Everyone’s thought process is different, so everyone comes up with different solutions. You can build on each other’s ideas and refine them. That’s why you enjoy coming back here and want to try new things.

Lowie: There are always new, innovative things going on here. If it’s not the gadgets, it’s the ideas. There’s always something cool being conceived here. You hardly find that anywhere else. The importance of the people at FabLab cannot be underestimated. It’s just super fun to be around like-minded people. That connection is priceless. You share lots of fun moments, but also inspiration, and through those connections, you sometimes end up on new projects.