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Make:able Challenge: Design & 3D Print Assistive Technology for the Disabled

Service bureau PrintLab is partnering with Autodesk for an exciting new competition for schools. The make:able challenge represents what should be a remarkable technological journey for students and teachers as they are invited to use either Tinkercad or Fusion 360 software  (both options are products of Autodesk) and 3D printing to make free, assistive technology with the following directions:

“Design and make a product or prototype that improves the day-to-day life of someone who struggles with mobility in their hands.”

This comprehensive challenge—and learning experience for students—is centered around an online toolkit provided for students, including a teacher’s guide and accompanying lesson plans. Students are expected to team up into smaller groups and use the toolkit as a foundation for increasing their design skills, especially in 3D—with the use of Autodesk products. More importantly, though, the competition is designed to help them find meaning in their communities, whether locally or online, as well as learning about how individuals must cope with disabilities and can use assistive technology for a better quality of life.

Make:able toolkits also offer inspiration through the following:

  • Stories and example solutions
  • Worksheets and a variety of activities designed to encourage a human-centered approach and teach empathy
  • Methods for encouraging design-based thinking for creating concepts and opportunities
  • Directing students to tell their story through their work
  • Designing, 3D printing, testing, and making changes to products

“Having supported hundreds of schools with 3D printing curriculum, we have witnessed firsthand some amazing student talent across the globe,” said Jason Yeung, Co-Founder of PrintLab. “It is our belief that this talent should expand outside of the classroom and be put to use on real-world challenges that have a positive impact on society.”

The key behind PrintLab and Autodesk partnering was to create an integrative program for schools to help encourage students in design and 3D printing, highlighting their work in both digital and AM processes.

“By participating in the make:able challenge, students will experience The Future of Making to help design and make a better world,” said Steven Parkinson, Education Manager at Autodesk.

Students ages 18 and under are eligible to participate in the make:able challenge, to be included in the following types of educational courses:

  • Design and technology classes
  • Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lessons
  • After-school programs
  • Workshops
  • Distance and remote learning opportunities

Teachers who register for the make:able program will receive challenge toolkits on September 1st. The teacher’s pack includes development resources and guided lesson plans. Entries are to be judged by a panel of experts in April 2021, with prizes including 3D printers for winning teams.

Challenges like make:able stress both the importance of using innovation and 3D printing to do good in the world, as well as the importance of STEM education for the younger generations. Many projects are designed to interest more girls in 3D printing—a powerful tool for STEM—as well as creating workshops and specific STEM apps for kids.  Find out more here.

[Source / Images: PrintLab]

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Success in Education: Michigan Technological University Offers Comprehensive 3D Printing Technology Workshop to Teachers

Chelsea Schelly, Gerald Anzalone, Bas Wijnen, and Joshua M. Pearce, researchers from several different departments at Michigan Technological University, explore one of the most exciting aspects of digital fabrication in the world today, releasing findings from their study in relation to STEM education in the recently published ‘Open-Source 3D Printing Technologies for Education: Bringing Additive Manufacturing to the Classroom.’

Pointing toward the importance of STEM education (focused on science, technology, engineering, and math—also sometimes referred to as STEAM, with the oft-overlooked inclusion of art), the authors discuss the importance of 3D printing, along with the potential for interaction across curriculums—especially possible due to the communication and latitude offered through open-source technology and innovation.

While individuals are struggling to find jobs around the world, there has been an obvious source of frustration emanating from the STEM sector in terms of industry where employers are challenged to find suitably educated workers. Today, numerous international companies are offering special training programs, workshops for teachers and students, and there is continued emphasis on the need to encourage girls to pursue STEM education and jobs.

“Despite a protracted period of high unemployment, about 4 million jobs go unfilled in the U.S. due to inadequate numbers of college graduates in STEM-related disciplines,” state the authors.

While accessibility and affordability are touted as some of the greatest benefits to 3D printing, this is not always a reality for many educational settings. There may be budgetary concerns as administrative costs continue to rise on every level in education, funds are limited, and staff may not be sufficiently trained to step right in and lead 3D design or 3D printing endeavors.

Open-source technology is an enormous boon to eliminating budgetary obstacles in education, and especially with the use of RepRap-style 3D printers. The authors see ‘clear opportunity’ via STEM education with open source 3D printers (OS3DP), due to the ability for self-replication, ease in use with 3D printing, and accessibility to standard materials like PLA.

“These OS3DPs have already been shown to provide scientific labs substantial economic savings by customizing both simple and advanced scientific equipment,” state the authors. “For example, to outfit a high school teaching laboratory with 30 optics setups costs less than $500 using the OS optics approach, compared to $15,000 for commercial versions.”

“Furthermore, OS3DP technologies can contribute to a transformative educational experience among teachers and students alike. Educators can themselves become students during a workshop intended to teach them something new.”

This was evidenced in the workshop offered for this study, as the researchers observed teachers ‘experiencing a transformation of understandings.’ For this research, 22 middle school and high school teachers were recruited for participating, emerging from a combination of disciplines related to STEAM. During the workshop, they were involved in building, using, and even troubleshooting OS3DPs for MOST RepRap 3D printers.

The printers resulted in an expense of around $550 each, but approximately half of the parts could be 3D printed. The workshop was meant to be self-directed for the educators, accentuated with both online instruction and visual tools. Facilitators were designated for additional help as teachers learned how to build fairly complex 3D printers. In terms of research, the authors were able to study perceptions of the teachers during the process, along with understanding more about how they perceived the opportunity to use OS3DP technology in school.

Open-source 3D Printer Workshop Schedule

The workshop lasted three-and-a-half days at the Michigan Technological University campus, hosted by the Michigan Tech Open Sustainability Technology Laboratory (MOST), and funded by both Square One Educational Network and GM. A trained social scientist was on-site to observe, lead focus groups, analyze the material in workshop applications, and assess survey results at the end.

Assembly Kit: The assembly kit was given to each teacher team on the day prior to the workshop

“This research was intended to improve the workshop design for future workshops, explore the potential for developing a scalable online workshop, and examine the meanings teachers associated with OS3DP technology as well as how they understand their potential for the educational setting,” explained the authors.

Build instructions were divided into two streams, with all members ‘continuously engaged’ in the build process for the 3D printers on hand in the workshop.

Tandem MOST Prusa Mendel RepRap Build task list.

The project consisted of the following instructions:

  • High-quality digital photographs of completed sections
  • Animations demonstrating 3D view of parts
  • Images demonstrating each stage of the build, with ‘clear documentation’
  • Short presentations and demonstrations

The MOST RepRap Printer, which is color coded for easy assembly both in the physical parts but also in the animated graphics and on the wiki. Key: Silver: Frame (vertexes, rod clamps, wire holders, Melzi board mounts); Black: X-axis (motor and idler ends, x-carriage, belt terminators, end stop holder, 12 tooth T5 pulley); White: Y-axis (motor mount, belt terminators, y-carriage corners and bearing saddles, 12 tooth T5 pulley); Yellow: Z-axis (motor mounts, guide rod clamp, z-motor couplings, bar clamps, end stop holder); Red: Extruder (extruder drive body, idler, gears, extruder drive spacer with Bowden nut trap, extruder drive mount).

“As users can immediately see the results of their geometric designs, OpenSCAD is a good way to teach students geometry and coding,” explained the authors. “Despite the relative ease of use OpenSCAD is a powerful solid modeling program and was used to design all of the components in the 3D printers that were printed. Finally, OpenSCAD allows for parametric designs, which is the ability to alter a design to specifications by changing the parameters of the geometry of an object (e.g. shapes are written with variables that others can change).”

“This allows changes to be made to the design easily and quickly by simply changing the value of user-defined variables—so once one person designs it, everyone can quickly customize the design for themselves.”

Assembly, Day One: A teacher assembling the printer frame on day one of the workshop.

Each team successfully completed the building of their printers and teachers were 3D printing parts by the end of the workshop.

Group photograph of workshop participants (teachers and workshop facilitators) and their 3D printers after a successful RepRap build.

“Not only were the teachers successful in building their printers, and printing with them; they also experienced the empowering and transformative learning that they described as possible among students with the help of OS3DP,” stated the researchers. “Teachers were active participants in the creation of both knowledge and objects, communicating with and learning from each other, throughout the workshop.”

Teachers rated the workshop in a survey, with 85 percent reporting that they found the instruction method to be either extremely or very effective. All participants agreed that speakers during the workshop were effective, and comments regarding the technology were positive.

The data conclusively showed that the teachers participating did experience transformative learning regarding OS3DP, gaining an understanding of the value for their students, along with the opportunity for influencing students who may not be as involved in class, and challenging gifted students who may be typically bored. The researchers described feedback as ‘overwhelmingly positive,’ with comments from the survey making it clear that such education offers ‘powerful potential,’ and especially with the use of active learning.

“Teachers described how their understandings of these newly emerging technologies evolved via workshop participation, as they learned about their environmental, economic, and social impacts. They also described the sense of empowerment resulting from the experience of making something, in turning a pile of parts into an operable printer and then an abstract design into an actual object,” concluded the authors. “The teachers discussed this transformative potential as an important consequence of getting OS3DP in the classroom, as students themselves may be able to experience a transformation that allows them to see themselves as active creators, makers of objects and their own educational experiences.”

“We argue that OS3DP is transformative and empowering in an educational setting; we observed firsthand its effect of teachers, and believe it may bring transformative educational experiences into the traditional classroom by empowering students to be active creators rather than passive consumers of both knowledge and materials, transforming their perceptions of themselves and their abilities through active, participatory education.”

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

Assembled Printer, Day Two: A teacher with their assembled printer at the end of day two of the workshop.

[Source / Images: ‘Open-Source 3-D Printing Technologies for Education: Bringing Additive Manufacturing to the Classroom’]

The post Success in Education: Michigan Technological University Offers Comprehensive 3D Printing Technology Workshop to Teachers appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

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Interview with Len Wagner of Deer Valley Ventures

Len Wanger

Len Wagner

Len Wagner is Chief Technology Manager at Impossible Objects, Inc. He is also currently a Managing Partner at Deer Valley Ventures, investing in early stage advanced and additive manufacturing companies. He gives good insight into both the technical world as well as the financial realm within additive manufacturing. He also is involved as a chairman of the FabLab Association for the Museum of Science and Industry.

What has lead you to this point?

I started my career in computer graphics. I was focused on the software that produced the images. I did a lot of graphics simulations. This lead to CAD and finite element analysis. In 1992 I was a researcher and was able to work on one of the first 3D printers. I was able to help researchers to visualize their data. Later on I was able to work on the financial side as I run a fund. I sit between these two things. I am also involved in a lot of STEM education as well and it has been important for me to give back. It took a while, but I figured out I had a skill of explaining the technical side to the business side. It took a while to realize that was important.

What kind of developments have recently disrupted this marketplace?

We have seen a big movement in the industry. We have moved from prototyping to manufacturing. We are at the very beginning stages of this. Customers and vendors are doing things to make this transition. It is a very different set of requirements from making prototypes to actual production levels. We at Impossible Objects are somewhat betting on this. The word disruption is funny. It is a slow methodical process to move in this field. Manufacturing moves very conservatively and methodically. More parts are moving toward digital manufacturing and additive manufacturing. If you talk to a large aircraft manufacturer like Boeing, a modern aircraft has hundreds of parts. A small percentage of these parts are continuously being made with additive manufacturing. Good steady progress is important. The full life cycle of material properties is important to understand.

Can you explain your work and day to day operations for Impossible Objects?

I run the engineering group as the Chief Technology Manager. The main function we have is designing and building new machines. We want to improve the process with new materials and machinery. We work on process development and I also help to make an automated machine that may assist with these types of process developments. I also work with customers for them to work with machines.

Impossible Objects

You have an interesting mix of skills in terms of venture capital as well as engineering. Can you give some insight into how you operate within both worlds?

It really comes down to building teams and having communication skills. It is important to build the communication skills. It’s important to translate the cultures. Engineers have a certain way of speaking and it is important to be able to explain things in terms of the business side and that realm of communication.

I feel the future of the additive sector lies within the precision of 3 dimensional imaging techniques. What are your thoughts on this?

I think it is important to measure the quality control of a product. 3D optical scanning at a cheap rate is not really on the market just yet and I think there is a great market need for it. Why is there not an open source package that is oriented towards this?

Fab Lab Association

People compare the additive manufacturing industry to the early days of computers. Do you agree or disagree and why?

I largely agree but it is not a perfect analogy. I agree that the transformation for being able to do manufacturing cheaper and faster at a small scale is similar to how programming costs went down extremely over time. Authoring is hard to do in 3D. Thinking in 3D is difficult. I also do not think there is a Moore’s law of Additive Manufacturing. I do think the ability to change the manufacturing sector is large.

Museum of Science and Industry Fab Lab

Can you explain some of the work you do as chairman of the FabLab Association for the Museum of Science and Industry?

With the FabLab Network, I am an advisor to the board of the MIT FabLab Network. The Museum of Science and Industry has a FabLab and it is great to expose people to one aspect of the maker movement. Schools and organizations are allowed some exposure and experience to this environment. There is an educational aspect of the Museum as well. This also invigorates people. It sparks the interest in people as well. I help to raise funds and I advise the lab. The equipment has become relatively cheap so schools can have access to these items. It is important for us to teach educators how to use these types of machines. It is important to give people access as well as give people mentorship.

What are some key points that companies should be focusing on in terms of the additive manufacturing strategies?

We must focus on material properties. It also is important to know the speed of prints. It is also important to have the economics down pat as well. Lastly, I think these machines have to work within your larger manufacturing environments. We are adding a camera to slice every image of all levels that have been printed. It is also to take advantage of digital manufacturing and mass customization.

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3D Printing in Africa: Kenya & 3D Printing

3D printed Kenya Flag beach shorts by SESY

Kenya has been considered to be a hub for innovation in Africa.  Personally, I started working with Kenya in 3D printing technology with a Makerbot Reseller, Amit Shah who runs Objet Kenya which is a 3D printing service provider based in Nairobi. Similar to the feelings of a first love, this is how I feel about Kenya in terms of 3D printing.

There are several other companies offering 3D printing services in Kenya and the country has a great entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. This has made 3D printing a very sensible and lovable technology and if there is something that fires it all: it is the Kenyan will to provide homegrown solutions. Kenya loves to provide their own solutions to their own problems and 3D printing suits very well in this line of thought. To add on to that, Kenyans appreciate and promote local productivity so this promotes a creative and innovative landscape where 3D printing technology makes a huge impact.

In terms of growing and developing with 3D printing technology, Kenya has been doing extremely well on this end. A 20year old electrical engineering student from Nairobi University Kenya, Alois Mbutura developed a minuscule vein finder for use with kids in the hope to address infant mortality and improve vaccination service. The minuscule vein was 3D printed using a MakerBot 3D printer.

Alenna Beroza, Kijenzi engineer, shows off some Kijenzi parts designed with and for nurse

Another great development is by the medical start-up company Kijenzi Medtech who are using 3D printing technology to provide medical solutions to Kenya’s rural clinics including very remote clinics. This is an inspiring endeavour as they assist in providing basic medical components remotely. They are also looking at training nursing staff to print components on site by simply downloading files and sending them to the printer.

Ultra Red technologies is one company in Kenya upping the 3D printing game and they have printed very interesting products like customized canopies for wildlife exploration vehicles. That’s some untapped territory in the wildlife sector in Africa and Kenya is setting the pace. On top of this, Ultra Red technologies are busy printing parts of a solar powered desalination device for providing reliable and clean water for the Kenyan populace. This will surely help to address water challenges faced in Kenya and enlighten the continent to think and pursue such solutions.

Ultra Red Outdoors 3D Printed Canopy

Kenya Connect which is an American-Kenyan not for profit organisation is offering STEM and arts classes in 3D printing to schools in partnership with US-based social enterprise Level Up Village. The drive is to promote and develop the technology at the grassroots level and create a generation that will fully harness the technology.

Micrive Infinite is integrating engineering, 3D printing technology and medical research to transform surgery, treatment and rehabilitation of patients. It is hoped that more homegrown medical solutions will help and improve healthcare in Kenya.

President Uhuru Kenyatta 3D model portrait for 3D printing

The manufacturing sector has also benefited from 3D printing. This has been enhanced with the development of Kenya’s Fab lab through the University of Nairobi Science and technology park. Kenya Fab lab was the first to bring a 3D printer into Kenya and since then they have revolutionized the technology as it has grown to the various sectors of Kenya economy. Not only that, but people in Kenya are also buying personal 3D printers for personal use and an indication of growing interest in the technology.

The innovation hub of Africa continues to develop with 3D printing. There is still great potential for 3D printing in Kenya and the good thing is that resources have been easily found to spread the technology. The future is bright for Kenya and also for Africa as a whole.

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Weeklong Camp Introduces Girls to 3D Printing, Robotics and More

Although progress is being made, there is still a disparity between the number of men and women in STEM fields. So it’s always encouraging to hear about initiatives that are encouraging girls and young women to pursue STEM subjects. This past July, the Hamburg University of Technology hosted an international group of girls in grades nine through 12 for a week-long Robotics Camp. Participants came from Germany, Span, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and Israel to learn not only about robotics but 3D printing, laser cutting and engraving, and more.

Girls who participated in the camp learned the basics of computer science, electrical engineering and CAD-based programming, as well as opportunities for careers in the STEM field. They also benefited from networking opportunities and the ability to share ideas with like-minded people.

“There is a big gender-gap when it comes to tech-leaders: far too few women are in strong positions in business or government,” the camp’s organizers stated. “Robotics is an exponentially growing technology field, with its ability to transform industries and solve humanity’s grand challenges.”

One afternoon during the weeklong camp included talks from seven female leaders in the STEM world. These included:

The idea for the camp was actually come up with by two teenage girls from Barcelona named Leah and Sofia. They participated in a robotics camp at the Hamburg University of Technology during a summer break, and came back so full of excitement that their friends wanted to participate in something similar. Along with their father, they approached the school about setting up an English-language robotics camp for girls, and were met with an enthusiastic response.

The first camp this past July was so successful that the university is doing it again in 2019. There will be two sessions, actually – the first from July 1st to July 5th, for both girls and boys, and the second from July 8th to July 12th for girls only.

While coed STEM camps are great, there’s something to be said for girls-only camps as well. Part of the issue for girls in STEM is that many of them feel like they’re unusual for liking science, technology, engineering or math, that those are “boys’ subjects” and that they face a disadvantage in breaking into those fields. Meeting other girls who share those interests, and hearing from women who have found success in those fields, is invaluable.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 camps. Interested parties should emailinfo@robotics-institute.com with a written motivational letter, most recent school certificate, a copy of an ID or passport, and a parental authorization form. More information can be found here.  

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

 

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10 Ways 3D Printing Played a Part in Education in 2018

3D printing is often used in education these days, whether it’s being taught as a subject or used to enhance another one. As we’re moving ever closer to the start of a new year, we decided to save you some time and gather the ten best education stories from 2018 in one article.

Siemens STEM DAY

The Siemens Foundation focuses on philanthropic efforts in order to continue the advancement of STEM-related education and workforce development, and has invested millions of dollars for this cause in the US. In early 2018, the Siemens Foundation worked with Discovery Education to re-brand its annual Siemens Science Day into a program for more modern educational opportunities: Siemens STEM Day, which is an opportunity for US schools to promote STEM activities for both students and teachers. The program, which doesn’t actually happen on one specific day but is a promotion of STEM lessons and hands-on activities, is meant to be used by students in grades K-12, and offers multiple tools and resources to help reboot STEM curriculum.

New 3D Printing Educational Initiatives

[Image: 3D PARS]

In February, we provided a round-up of some of the many educational initiatives that were looking to provide adults with a deeper understanding of 3D printing. Included in this round-up was a new online course for professionals by MIT, new 3D printing courses from the Sharebot Academy program, and a joint two-day training course in additive manufacturing from German consulting firm Ampower and full service prototyping and 3D printing provider H & H. Additional educational initiatives shared in the round-up were 3DPrint.com’s own Additive Manufacturing with Metals Course.

learnbylayers Partnered with Kodak

In 2017, educator Philip Cotton launched an online 3D printing resource for teachers called learnbylayers that offers lesson plans, project ideas, assessments and more that were designed by teachers for teachers. The site grew quickly, and in February Cotton announced that it had reached a distribution agreement with Kodak. The learnbylayers educational curriculum was added to the Kodak 3D Printing Ecosystem, as the company began offering the internationally-taught curriculum along with its Portrait 3D printer’s launch.

Renishaw Deepened Its Commitment to 3D Printing Education

This spring, Renishaw announced that it would be deepening its commitment to 3D printing education. The company established a new Fabrication Development Centre (FDC) at its Miskin facility in South Wales, with the goal of inspiring young people to pursue STEM careers. The FDC has two classrooms, staffed by qualified teachers and Renishaw’s STEM ambassadors, that can be used for free by schools or groups of young people for lessons or workshops. The FDC was actually in use by Radyr Comprehensive School students long before it was officially launched by Andy Green, a driver for Bloodhound SSC, a 3D printing user and Renishaw partner which also devotes many resources to education about the technology.

Ultimaker Launched New 3D Printing Core Lessons for STEAM Education

Lesson 1: Coin Traps

In April, Ultimaker launched its new Ultimaker Core Lessons: STEAM Set for educators. Eight free lessons, published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, are included in the set, which can help teachers in informal, K12, or Higher Ed classrooms incorporate 3D printing into their educational practices and STEAM curriculum. Some of the beginner lessons include 3D printing a coin trap, flashlight, and penny whistle, and can teach young students important skills like how to align objects, using symbols to communicate ideas, and how to effectively work together on creative projects.

PrintLab Teamed Up with CREATE Education Team

UK-based global 3D printing distributor and curriculum provider PrintLab partnered with UK 3D printing company CREATE Education, a collaborative platform that provides educators with free resources and support, in order to support schools all across the UK with 3D printing. Each company’s educational 3D printing offerings will be combined in this partnership so that UK schools can enjoy unlimited access to full 3D printing solutions for the classroom, which will be locally supported for life by CREATE. Multiple initiatives came out of this partnership to support teachers, like  3D printer loan schemes, funding advice and resources, special training and curriculum workshops, and new educational 3D printing bundles.

3Doodler Introduced New Educational Kits

3Doodler has long supported education, and often releases new STEM-centered educational packages, including its latest classroom product line: the 3Doodler Create+ EDU Learning Pack and 3Doodler Start EDU Learning Pack. Each pack, designed for and with teachers, was designed specially for classrooms from kindergarten to 12th grade and includes 6 or 12 3Doodler pens (Create or Start, depending on the package) and 600 or 1,200 strands of plastic, as well as other tech accessories, lesson plans, and classroom materials. Additionally, the company released its 3Doodler Create+ EDU Teacher Experience Kit and 3Doodler EDU Start Teacher Experience Kit, which are designed to be trial packs for teachers who are thinking about introducing the 3Doodler into their classrooms.

Robo Acquired MyStemKits

3D printer manufacturer Robo announced this summer that it had acquired Atlanta company MyStemKits, which provides the largest online library of STEM curriculum in the world. Thanks to this acquisition, Robo is now offering educational bundles that include its classroom-friendly 3D printers, a supply of filament, one-year subscriptions to MyStemKits, and additional professional development and online learning.

GE Additive’s Education Program Provided Five Universities with Metal 3D Printers

GE’s Additive Education Program (AEP) – a five-year, $10 million, two-part initiative to provide 3D printers to as many schools as possible – chose five universities this summer to receive an Mlab 200R from the program. 500 proposals were submitted for this round of the program, and GE Additive chose German’s Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Ireland’s University of Limerick, the Calhoun Community College in Alabama, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and West Virginia University as the lucky winners.

3D Printing In Fashion Education

In a recently published paper, titled “Integration of 3 Dimensional Modeling and Printing into Fashion Design Curriculum: Opportunities and Challenges,” Nicole Eckerson and Li Zhao from the University of Missouri discussed whether 3D printing should be integrated into fashion design curriculum. The researchers noted that while 3D printing has been recognized as a major influence in the work of designers and engineers, educators in the fashion industry are facing a lack of time, resources, and knowledge to teach the technology to students. The two conducted semi-structured interviews with eight 3D printing industry  experts and academic professionals for their research, and came up with three distinct themes from their data about why 3D printing should be adopted, and taught, in fashion.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

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3DBear Introduces Kids to 3D Printing and Augmented Reality

Everyone agrees that it’s important for children to learn new technologies such as 3D printing, robotics, and virtual reality. The challenge lies in finding the best way to teach those skills to young students. Plenty of organizations have taken on that challenge and have come up with creative ways to teach kids about technology while allowing them to have fun as they learn. One of those companies is 3DBear, a Finnish startup founded three years ago by Jussi Kajala and Kristo Lehtonen.

3DBear is an app that allows children to 3D design their own toys in augmented reality. Available for both iOS and Android, the app is simple enough for kids to use, allowing them to superimpose their own designs on their surroundings using their phone’s camera. Kajala and Lehtonen wanted to capitalize on the popularity of such games as Pokémon Go and use the appeal of augmented reality to educate, not just entertain.

“There are lot of applications out there where children chase monsters or collect coins, but we wanted to create something that can be used to improve learning and support creativity,” Kajala told ELearning Inside. “At the same time, we had seen a lot of hardware being sold to schools without [administrators] thinking how to best apply it to improve learning. We had to fix that.”

While the idea of creating their own 3D printable toys in augmented reality is appealing to children, they can do much more with the app, and Kajala and Lehtonen encourage teachers to be creative, applying it to different subjects and lesson plans. The simplicity of the app means that it can be easily used to create scenes from history, for example, or bring literature to life.

“Using 3D design in augmented reality as a tool for creating makes curriculum come alive,” Kajala continued. “According to Bloom’s taxonomy, creating is the highest form of learning. Think about it: when you reconstruct a scene of, say, the Boston Tea Party in augmented reality, it’s an entirely different form of learning experience than reading a book about it or having a teacher explain it to you. When you create it yourself, you’ve got think: what do I need? I need a ship, boxes of tea, and a crew. What does the crew wear? What actually happens in the scene? Is the tea thrown into the water? Why would they do that? When you’ve gone through the creative process yourself you are much more apt to remember and understand the topic that you are studying.”

Apps like these may be the future of education, as teachers begin to utilize technology to teach kids in an entirely new way. Many people talk about the necessity of teaching children skills like 3D printing and virtual or augmented reality because those skills will be necessary for the jobs of the future, but they don’t always talk about how that technology can be harnessed to teach other subjects, as well. There’s really no area of study that can’t benefit from the creative application of technology; apps like 3DBear allow kids to both learn how augmented reality and 3D design work as well as to learn other subjects in a hands-on way.

Textbooks aren’t necessarily going to become obsolete, but the days in which learning came solely from the pages of a book are fading into the past. Students can now apply the knowledge they learn from books by recreating it in virtual 3D, which, as Kajala said, creates a much more lasting impression than book learning alone.

In addition to the app itself, 3DBear offers lesson plans for elementary, middle and high school students in a wide variety of subjects. You can learn more here.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. 

[Images: 3DBear]