Fab Academy portfolio Sara Kutkova

About me

Hello everyone, I am Sara!

   

Coming from Slovakia, I did my bachelor degree at the University of Glasgow, where I also lived for 4 years. I still return to Scotland regularly, as it is one of the best places.

Currently I live in Finland, where I’m finishing my master studies at Aalto University. I do Computer Science as my major, but I also did a bit of electrical engineering.

Past projects

The first time I got into prototyping was in the summer of 2021 when I was working on a research project in collaboration with the University of Victoria. The project was about designing, building and documenting an affordable DIY prototype of a syringe pump.

Syringe pump under 100 eur here

After we finished the project, I became more interested in prototyping, so I took courses such as Design Thinking and Electronic Prototyping or Digital Fabrication. I then worked on a smart frame project, where we prototyped the idea of communicating that your loved one is available for a phone call (when they are at home sitting on a couch, the picture in the frame would change).

Concept design
   
Prototype

Smart Wearables

Currently, I am invested in Smart Wearables, where I am part of the prof. Yu Xiao research group! Made a soft and modular glove. It was trained to recognized Chinese number signs.

Later I took more Smart Wearable courses, and also made soft & sustainable sweat sensor which could help hikers to protect from overheating and (following) underheating.

   

I was part of the project to create biodegradable moist collecting tree shelters (in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), to replace the popular plastic tree shelters in Chile.

Cotton coated in bee wax for better mist collection
   
Mist collecting experiments

Currently I am also working on a soft sleeve that stimulates the feeling of rain for the VR purposes. It is also my Master thesis, I will post a final prototype here once its finished :)

TPU printing with thin sheer fabric
   
Holes are for vibration motors for tactile stimulation, and peltiers as cooling elements

Fun

I can [and want to!] talk about education, sewing, cats, map and herbs.

Other

The original website containing my whole progress throughout the Digital Fabrication course can be found here.