Artisans Asylum is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

community workshop in Allston, Massachusetts. Artisans Asylum was founded in 2010 by an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

, an artist, and friends who needed an affordable place to build and make things. Artisans was the first

makerspace A hackerspace (also referred to as a hacklab, hackspace, or makerspace) is a community-operated, often "not for profit" ( 501(c)(3) in the United States), workspace where people with common interests, such as computers, machining, technology, ...

to incorporate in the U.S. in 2012 and today is 40,000 square feet of fabrication space. Artisans hosts over 430 members, 160 studios, and 15 workshops. Shops include

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

welding Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as bra ...

, bicycle maintenance and repair, machining, electronics and robotics, jewelry, digital fabrication, a digital photo studio, fiber arts, casting, laser cutting, CNC machines, prop shop, and design lab. The Asylum hosts 30-40 public classes each month, providing hands-on tool training and skills-building courses. As of 2013, the Asylum housed 40 or 50 small manufacturing companies, and raised the number of manufacturing firms in Somerville by 50%. The Asylum is credited with attracting the greentech incubator Greentown Labs to Somerville and contributing to the creative economy in Somerville. In 2017, Artisans Asylum was featured around the web for hosting

MegaBots Inc. MegaBots Inc. was an American startup company headquartered in Hayward, California that created giant robots and real-world mecha for robotic sports competitions. In June 2015, MegaBots challenged Japan-based Suidobashi Heavy Industry to the wo ...

as they built their 4.9 meter tall

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may ...

fighter, EaglePrime. On October 17, EaglePrime defeated

Kuratas Kuratas is a rideable and user-operated mecha built by the Japanese company Suidobashi Heavy Industry. Billed as "the world's first giant boarding robot", the Kuratas was unveiled when the website was opened in 2012. It was demonstrated at Wonder ...

, a 6.5 ton battle robot build by Japanese company Suidobashi. The fight was hosted in an abandoned steel mill in Japan, and was live streamed on

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

References

External links

* {{Hackerspace Hackerspaces Hacker culture