Summary:
This article examines FacLabs as postdigital hyper-hybrid spaces that integrate fabrication and design-thinking within universities. These environments hybridize multiple dimensions: physical/digital, face-to-face/remote, individual/group, and formal/informal learning. The ecological concept of ecotone is mobilized here as a metaphor aligned with postdigital thinking. It allows for the analysis of transitions between these dimensions, understanding how to foster them, and thus improving the phygital continuity of actions and interactions. A qualitative empirical study was conducted through video analysis of collaborative fabrication sessions, focusing on physical-digital and individual-group transitions, with attention to non-verbal indicators. Three key challenges related to phygital continuity emerged: (1) coordination and perspective convergence, (2) physical/digital interaction, and (3) project documentation and tracking. These challenges inspired prospective scenarios envisioning a future where fabrication activities extend beyond the physical FacLab, enabling smoother online and remote collaboration. To address phygital discontinuity, we explore the potential of extending the SceneGraph, a digital structure widely used in Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR), into what we term a phygital SceneGraph. This structure aims to operationalize the concept of the phygital ecotone within a technological framework. Rather than presenting it as a definitive solution, we propose it as a conceptual and technical design construct, offering promising affordances for aggregating and coordinating spatiotemporal interactions across physical and digital dimensions, and thereby supporting hybrid continuity in distributed FacLabs.
SWITCH edu-ID
Administration
