Very proud of our Steering Group members Professors Joe Finney and Steve Hodges, whose work developing the Micro:bit has been recognised with a Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education 🎉

🚨 Last call to join the LEAP Community Sandpit - Friday 14 November in Bristol.

Making a digital device prototype is getting easier thanks to the availability of off-the-shelf parts, and traditional manufacturing makes it easy to produce in the thousands. But organisations like Air Giants who are producing in low volumes get stuck in between, facing replication challenges.

Have you heard about the funding available through our pro² Residency Scheme? ⚡Visitors will conduct world-leading, curiosity-driven research and build lasting partnerships. 🌐 U.K. Industry Residency, U.K.-Overseas Residency, and International-U.K. Residencies. Learn more➡️ tinyurl.com/pro2-rs

Missed our 2025 Summer School at @lancasteruni.bsky.social? Highlights included: 🍎 expert instruction 💰 prizes! 💡 world-class talks by speakers like Pete Lomas, co-founder of Raspberry Pi Foundation & author Simon Monk Learn more: lnkd.in/ewrEVrmC #pro2summerschool2025 @lmcunderwood.bsky.social

Resources like the @microbit.org have made it easier to produce device prototypes. However, refining and replicating them remains difficult especially in low volumes. Our funded project is solving this challenge by expanding the MakeDevice app. @msftresearch.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social

We've launched three new funded projects exploring new and emerging materials with the potential to drive innovation in digital devices 🎉 Learn more: lnkd.in/eKTyCPqz #materials #manufacturing @nenisea.bsky.social @lmcunderwood.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk

Do you design and build prototypes of digital devices? If so, we want to hear from you! Follow the link to complete a brief questionnaire about where you find help when encountering problems (takes just 5-10 mins): lnkd.in/euaprTfX @lmcunderwood.bsky.social @bristolhci.bsky.social #prototyping

Excited to share some new mobile technology in development! prosquared.org/2025-LSS-Pap... Watch this space! Feel free to reach out if you are interested in testing prototypes. @prosquared.org

Great talk from @lmcunderwood.bsky.social today on prototyping case studies, of which she has many! Her work with @e14community.bsky.social and @lancasteruni.bsky.social was truly inspirational, like the 'Cubert' a 1 m³ 8×8×8 RGB LED cube (learn more: buff.ly/XV4qGpv). #pro2summerschool2025

Even more fascinating talks on our final day of the Device Prototyping Summer School! Professor Jason Alexander joined remotely from @uniofbath.bsky.social to speak on 'Prototyping with New and Emerging Materials'. #pro2summerschool2025 #prototyping

Thursday night pub quiz at the pro2 summer school! Did you know that Nintendo was founded in 1889? Or that the first computer mouse was made of wood??🌳 #pro2summerschool2025 @lancasteruni.bsky.social

pro2 summer school attendees got a chance to show off their device prototypes today at @lancasteruni.bsky.social. Ranging from health tech to digital musical instruments and more, learn all about them at prosquared.org #pro2summerschool2025 #prototyping @lmcunderwood.bsky.social

Pride in STEM's Small Grant Scheme is officially open for 2025! This year's theme is Strengthening Queer Community in STEM. If you have ideas for a small project in the United Kingdom that fits this, we would love to support you! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ #QueerInSTEM More info here: prideinstem.org/2025/07/16/s...

What a great start to day three of the Device Prototyping Summer School! Absolutely fantastic talk by Pete Lomas of Norcott Technologies and co-founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Pete spoke on scaling the #RaspberryPi and the challenge of internet success. #pro2summerschool2025

Nothing better than some live music to kick back after a busy day! The Usuals were back this year at the Device Prototyping Summer School at @lancasteruni.bsky.social with another brilliant gig 🎶 #pro2summerschool2025 @lmcunderwood.bsky.social

Also on the agenda yesterday was a talk and practical tutorial on 3D computer aided design, presented by @oliverchild.bsky.social of @bristolhci.bsky.social and John Vidler of @lancasteruni.bsky.social #pro2summerschool2025 #CAD

Another brilliant talk yesterday from speaker Simon Monk of ‪@monkmakes.bsky.social‬ on building an electronics manufacturing business on a shoestring. As a UK manufacturer of Micro:bit, Raspberry Pi and electronics accessories, Simon brought a wealth of expertise and advice. #pro2summerschool2025

Excellent keynote this morning from Mandy Xiang, a project manager with @bitcraze.io, on scaling electronic prototypes. Mandy is a production specialist with previous experience working for Foxconn and @seeedstudio.com, where she directed a low-volume production service. #pro2summerschool2025

Getting hands-on at day 2 of the Device Prototyping Summer School with a PCB surface mount assembly tutorial! Delegates worked with the 'solder:bit' developed by Lancaster Uni's Devices Lab, which will be used to control a BBC micro:bit #pro2summerschool2025 @microbit.org @lancasteruni.bsky.social

Great talk today from Steve Hodges on 'Unlocking a Long Tail of Hardware' as part of the first day of the #2025pro2summerschool @lancasteruni.bsky.social

Kicking off the #pro2summerschool2025 with a 'speed dating' mingle session this afternoon! So excited to welcome a great group of delegates from all of the world to this year's event @lancasteruni.bsky.social @lmcunderwood.bsky.social

So excited that The Usuals will be joining us again at the 2025 Device Prototyping Summer School! Attendees can catch their rock/indie/pop cover show live on 15 July. Want a sneak peek before the show? Visit theusuals.co.uk #pro2summerschool2025 @lmcunderwood.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social

Yesterday was International Women in Engineering Day, so we celebrated with an interview with pro2 Steering Group member and Computer Science content creator, author, and researcher @lmcunderwood.bsky.social Read it here: buff.ly/tbUHIQ0 #INWED2025 @wes1919.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social

Very proud to have been sponsors of this year's Open Hardware Summit in Edinburgh! Two action-packed days full of fascinating people and talks, including a presentation on an accessible one-handed keyboard by our very own @lmcunderwood.bsky.social @oshwassociation.bsky.social #OHS2025 #OpenSource

Device 'isotyping' is a key part of the prototype to product journey, but is often overlooked and misunderstood. It's also an area in need of solutions to important challenges. Learn more about 'isotyping' by checking out this article from pro2 researcher, Rory Clark: buff.ly/sdErrhW #HCI #CHI2025

How can Large Language Models and #AI be leveraged to better design electronic devices? Our funded project 'Conversational Prototyping' led by Prof Lars Erik Holmquist of Nottingham Trent Uni is exploring the answer. Learn more: buff.ly/0ro89zs #LLM #Prototyping @lunchroommanners.bsky.social

Attending #OHS2025? Don't miss out on a great talk tomorrow by our Steering Group member, @lmcunderwood.bsky.social of @lancasteruni.bsky.social #OpenSource #OpenHardware #Edinburgh

If you're looking to see the next iteration of 3D printing @oliverchild.bsky.social's talk on day one of #OHS2025 Printegrated Circuits, a technique being developed to embed PCBs into FFF 3D prints, combining conductive and insulating filament is the perfect fit for you!

The swag game is on point at #OHS2025! Hope all those attending enjoy our contribution 🍫😋 @oshwassociation.bsky.social

We had a great time at last week's launch event for the DICE Network+, an EPSRC-funded network with a mission to build a digitally enabled sustainable & circular economy. And they've just launched their first funding call! Register for the upcoming webinar on 10 July to learn more: buff.ly/P4ZPp6p

Electric Dreams Festival is coming to Bristol! Follow in the footsteps of the Electrical Association for Women with a guided tour of Bristol's powerful heritage at 10:30am and 2pm Travel through time and spark your imagination with a special performance titled 'Watts in a Home 2: Then and Now'

Congratulations to the Biomanufacturing Group at ICGEB for winning a best exhibit prize at Maker Faire Trieste yesterday! 🏆 Their award-winning exhibit featured a number of OpenFlexure Microscopes, and aimed at help make biology accessible to everyone. 🔬

Missed the 2025 SW UK Pre-CHI in Bristol? Read all about it on our blog: buff.ly/GlUyBe3 Events like this are so important for building strong regional relationships and supporting early career researchers. We were very proud to be a sponsor of this year's event. @swukprechi.bsky.social #CHI2025

Closing soon! Don't miss out on our 3.5 day, hands-on summer school at Lancaster University this July ☀️ 30 places available with accommodation, meals and all course content for just £50, plus £4000 in prizes. Open to all interested in low-volume device creation. Learn more & apply: buff.ly/mX7ihRV

Have you registered yet for our 3.5 day, hands-on summer school at Lancaster University this July? 30 places available with accommodation, meals and all course content for just £50, plus £4000 in prizes. Open to all interested in low-volume device creation. Learn more & apply: buff.ly/mX7ihRV

📢 We’d Love Your Feedback We’re always looking to improve—if you attended this year, please take a moment to share your thoughts: 👉 forms.gle/fJwpxKGn26m8...

We had a great time at the SW UK Pre-CHI event this week in Bristol! Fascinating talks, great workshops, and such a lovely, welcoming group of people. Very proud to have been a sponsor for the event @swukprechi.bsky.social @bristolhci.bsky.social #CHI2025 #HCI #PreCHI

Registration now open for our 3.5 day, hands-on summer school at Lancaster University this July! 30 places available with accommodation, meals and all course content for just £50, plus £4000 in prizes. Open to all interested in low-volume device creation. Learn more & apply: buff.ly/mX7ihRV

There's still time to register for our 'Prototype 2 Production' workshop on 14 April! Part of the SW UK Pre-CHI event, free to join and open to all with an interest in #HumanComputerInteraction. Learn more and register for the event: buff.ly/WTTuuVU Register for the workshop: buff.ly/7W8uPAi

The pro2 Residency Scheme funded @bristolhci.bsky.social researcher @oliverchild.bsky.social's recent visit to Shenzhen, China where he met with collaborators including MIT, Sustech, and Seeed Studio. Read about his experience exploring Shenzhen's manufacturing ecosystem: buff.ly/UN1MxQc

Come join our 'Prototype 2 Production' workshop on 14 April! The workshop is part of the SW UK Pre-CHI event which is free to join and open to all with an interest in #HumanComputerInteraction. Learn more and register for the event: buff.ly/WTTuuVU Register for the workshop: buff.ly/7W8uPAi

Save the dates! Learn to make refined digital devices quickly & easily with hands-on instruction from global experts. 🍎 Open to all experience levels ⚙️ 30 spots available for £50 including accommodation, meals, & instruction 🏆 Prize competition! Registration opens soon. Learn more: buff.ly/nZAawVm

Is it May yet?? Can't wait for #OHS2025! Come say hi to us in Edinburgh

New WhatsApp Community for pro² members, offering space to: 💡Share device challenges & solutions 🌐 Socialise & network 💰 Discover opportunities (events, funding, & more) 🍎 Keep in touch with Summer School attendees Join: prosquared.org #makers #HCI @bristolhci.bsky.social @lmcunderwood.bsky.social