Making and Inventing Interactive Devices

  • Make a speaker by designing your own coil and 3D-printed case.
  • Make multitouch sensors from scratch.
  • Invent new interactive devices in the open-ended final project.
  • This class will take place at Make Reality Space, CSIE's makerspace.
  • A lot of hands-on projects in this class. Get your hands dirty!
  • Learn digital fabrication techniques, including 3D printing and laser cutting.

Semester: 115-1 (2026 Fall)
Class number: CSIE5647 Undergrad elective (Welcome non-CS students!)
Instructor: Shan-Yuan Teng
Time: Tuesday 789
Location: MK Innovation Hall 523 (CSIE Make Reality Space)
Language: English (changed from 114-1)
Student Quota: 30
How to enroll: You must come to the first class and we will notify you by next class

Synopsis

The lecture covers fundamental principles of interactive devices and fabrication techniques, along with state-of-the-art research and applications in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Instead of using existing modules, this class will provide hands-on instructions to build sensors, actuators, and circuits from scratch using digital fabrication machines (e.g., 3D printers, 2D routers). Based on the principles and inspiration, students are guided to invent new interactive devices in their final project (e.g., wearables, robots).

Expected workload

The goal of the course is to learn through doing, i.e., graded in-class activities, heavy hands-on assignments. The grade of this course depends on individual assignments and group projects (three in a team), which are evaluated by in-class presentation, demonstration of physical prototypes, and submitted reports.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites but basic programming skills are recommended (not vibe coding); The class contains dexterous hand-eye coordination.

Syllabus

The schedule is subject to change due to material/equipment availability.

Week Date Content Resources (TBA)
1 9/8 Introduction  
2 9/15 2D fabrication (Lasercut)  
3 9/22 3D fabrication (3D printing)  
4 9/29 Circuit fabrication I  
5 10/6 Circuit fabrication II  
6 10/13 Make sensors I (Multitouch)  
7 10/20 Make sensors II  
8 10/27 Make actuators I (Speaker)  
9 11/3 Make actuators II  
10 11/10 Inventing & Unmaking devices  
11 11/17 Final project proposal  
12 11/24 Final project sprint  
13 12/1 Final project sprint  
14 12/8 Final project sprint  
15 12/15 Final project demonstration  
16 12/22 No class  

Policies

  • You must come to the first class to be enrolled in this class. If you are not enrolled but want to take this class, come to the first class. We will evaluate the number of students and let you know the availability before the second week.
  • Physically attending each class is important (hands-on activities and basic in-class assignments, both graded). If you cannot attend for any reason, you should email the instructor directly and it will be handled individually.
  • No auditting. Our resources and space are limited.
  • Students should prepare their own laptops.
  • Students should follow the rules of Make Reality Space.

Make Reality Space

Make Reality Space is open for all CS students as a place to encourage hands-on projects. The space is maintained by a student-led managing team.

Contact instructor & teaching assistants

making-devices@csie.ntu.edu.tw

For more personal question/request, please email the instructor directly.

TA recruitment

If you have experiences in 3D modeling (Fusion), circuit (Arduino, KiCAD), etc, being either undergrad/grad students (CS or non-CS), email Shan-Yuan for Teaching Assistant opportunity!