Open source hardware (OSHW) supporting interaction between traditional crafts and emergent science: Wayang Kulit over microfluidic interfaces

In this paper we will summarize our research into the use of Open Source Hardware (OSHW) as a tool for communicating emergent scientific and technical knowledge via crafts. We were specifically interested in the microfabrication and microfluidic devices, which define the next generation of diagnostic and research tools often inaccessible to the larger public, but also to the scientists from the Global South. We used the traditional wayang kulit theater (shadow puppets) as a model for building microfluidic interfaces, which communicate emergent scientific issues to the larger public while testing the possibilities for DIY microfluidics. This culture-centered approach to design and science communication supports open science and citizen science projects. The prototype of a microfluidic shadow puppets' theater is discussed in the context of previous and future OSHW and crafts prototypes, which support culture-centered design.