The intangible economy: FabLabs “individualised production of objects”. A stage in liberating the function of innovation

Abstract

The concept of the FabLab was created by MIT at the end of the 1990s, with the aim of making the production of objects accessible to ordinary users. The FabLab is of particular interest for analysis, insofar as it projects the question of intangibility into a new sphere, that of industrial production. This article will try to identify the characteristics of the FabLab innovation model in the intangible production economy (towards the creation of the new IPO model) and to sketch out an analysis of the possible consequences for society, economics, politics and territory. After presenting the theoretical frame of reference of this article, we will put forward the significant and original elements of the FabLab innovation. By applying once again the theoretical framework, the conclusion will seek to indicate the possible theoretical contributions of this innovation.JEL Codes: L26, L23, O3