Fab Labs are public centres promoted by Barcelona City Council that are open to everyone. They work on inclusion and digital skills acquisition. From the end of March to the end of June 2020, they focused on tackling Covid-19, employing around thirty 3D printers, five laser cutters and a team of twenty-five workers to provide front-line workers with personal protective equipment based on open-source designs.

The Fab Labs worked hand in hand with the spontaneous public movement organised through the Coronavirus Makers group. This group of volunteers grew from around thirty people at the beginning to over three thousand by the end of March. They included makers, healthcare personnel, engineers, taxi drivers, business people, teachers, the digital fabrication services, etc., and they also had the full backing of all the Barcelona City Council manager’s offices, directorates and departments involved.

All of these people got together to organise a humble yet powerful response to the pandemic. Now you can see the work carried out, in the attached report ‘Digital fab labs in the context of Covid-19’.