Monday, May 06, 2013

My journey into the Center of Gravity

Last Friday I was given a tour of the Center of Gravity (COG).  What exactly (and where exactly) is the Center of Gravity?  It’s full name is the Tech Valley Center of Gravity and it is a community of technical and artistic creators, makers if you will.  They have a permanent makerspace in downtown Troy, NY and their grand opening is today.

I was lucky enough to get a tour on Friday from one of directors of board at COG, Laban Coblentz.  While their location is new, they have managed to collect a fair of equipment already. There is a lot equipment that can be used now.  From old time drill presses to laser cutters, from soldering stations to a bio lab. They are off to a good start.

 

You can sign up for free as an associate member, that will get you a membership card and the opportunity to purchase day passes to access the equipment in their makerspace.  If you plan on doing a lot of building and tinkering, then you’ll want to step up a full membership at $60/month) or “Super User” at $100/month.  The paid membership gives you full access to the makerspace and includes safety training.

If you need to fabricate some one off parts for a project, they have a couple of 3D printers.  In a couple of years, you’ll be able to buy one a Walmart, but right now it’s hard to get access to one around here.  When I did my robotics project last fall, I could have used a 3D printer to make the mounting pieces.

For additional pictures of the COG, the All Over Albany blog posted a large set on their site.

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