The way we’re going about making circuits has been rapidly changing in the past few years, and it’s largely thanks to conductive inks. These ultra-thin, ultra-lightweight inks can be inserted into thin objects or even printed on paper, totally eliminating the need for bulky framework. Circuit Scribe started out as a Kickstarter project and is now available via retail outlets, and it’s spent the past couple of years proving just how awesome it is.

The concept behind Circuit Scribe is easy even for non-technical folks to understand. Instead of wires, soldering, and a lot of specialized knowledge, you can draw circuits on paper with the non-toxic, water-based ink. Circuit Scribe sells modules that you can snap onto your creations with magnets to make working lights, sound modules and even a small motor.

Although you can use it to make some pretty rad toys and gifts, the Circuit Scribe is important on an even larger scale. It’s among the first generation of similar products that allow anyone to make electronics without a whole lot of prior knowledge. The process of using Circuit Scribe to make things actually leads to the learning (rather than the learning leading to the making) which is a fun, engaging type of education.

As far as functionality goes, the Circuit Scribe system is far easier to use than some of its competitors which are bulkier and can take hours to dry. The Circuit Scribe pen lets you draw and then immediately use your drawing to make something fun. People who are interested in electronics and engineering careers will still need to learn traditional methods as well, but conductive ink gives you the kind of instant gratification that just makes you want to keep playing and learning.

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The world is facing a very real, very alarming trend in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) professions: tomorrow’s scientists and engineers just aren’t interested. The appeal of STEM careers has been steadily dropping among young people as they go through middle and high school, but trends indicate that careers in these fields will continue to grow at a faster-than-average pace in the next decade. To keep up with demand and keep the world (and specifically the US in this story) in the global technology game, we have to come up with better ways to get kids interested in math and science.

SciPlay, a research group formed in 2010 by the New York Hall of Science, is developing several apps that will make learning physics and scientific concepts seem like a game. Working with media design firm Local Projects, SciPlay is using kids’ natural love for play to draw their attention to the math and science already happening all around them.

The app works by using video to illustrate the science at work in everyday activities. One kid holding an iPad records other kids swinging, throwing a ball, jumping, climbing, or any number of other playground activities. Then, either via information received form a sensor (like an iPod embedded in a foam ball or worn on a kid’s belt) or tracing an arc of motion, the app can illustrate levels of velocity, force, energy, and acceleration.

Kids at the New York Hall of Science are acting as collaborators on the project. Their feedback is going into the visual design of the app as well as its functions. The lucky kids who are in on the project also get to test out the app by playing just like they normally would, then using the app to see the science behind every moment of physical activity. SciPlay thinks (and we agree) that by approaching physics from a playful standpoint rather than trying to lecture on these difficult concepts, they may just be helping to incubate the next generation of great scientific minds.

(via: FastCo)

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If you ever have an ethical dilemma when your children catch animals or insects inside glass jars, then this is the concept for you. It allows the academical and investigative aspects of a jar-captured animal while cutting out the cruelty by use of 3D projection.

The idea is called Jarpet. Designers Zhang Di, Zhao Tianji, Ma Yinghui & Cui Minghui came up with the concept to create a ‘jar’ that is essentially a small 3D projector that places a tiny virtual animal right in front of your child. It connects to your computer via USB to charge and communicate with an app that sends the digital info to the jar.

It would connect to an online animal store that allows kids to view the animals and parents to make purchases. The coolest part: It would include multi-sensory technology that would allow full interaction with the animal. The Jarpet won a 2013 Red Dot Award for design concept.

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Ever been afraid to raise your hand in class? If you’re like us, you typically let it slide when you have trouble following a professor’s lecture because you don’t want to seem dumb. Well, fear no more, as scientists at Spain’s la Universidad Carlos III are working on a pair of glasses that teachers can wear to tell whether or not their students are following them.

The glasses use augmented reality, a system that essentially places unreal things in your real-world environment. Through an app, students can select an icon that lets the professor know where the student is in terms of understanding the lecture. There are icons that tell the professor that the student is ‘getting it’, not ‘getting it’, to slow down, or that they know the answer to a question.

The icons cutely hover above the students’ heads. In smaller classes, this can be extremely valuable. For larger, stadium-like lectures, the app produces a diagram that combines all of the students’ understanding levels. If nothing else, this gives students carte blanche to play with their smart phones.

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When you do almost all of your recording, correspondence, and communicating via computer, you might feel a bit lost when switching to a plain old ballpoint pen. There’s no squiggly red line to tell you when you’ve misspelled a word, for instance – and there’s no “backspace” key.

The Lernstift (which is German for “learning pen”) is a pen which aims to bring the art of handwritten correspondence into the digital age. The pen senses when you’ve misspelled a word or when you are using poor grammar or penmanship – and it vibrates to draw attention to your errors. The pen networks with a variety of devices to keep track of your progress and problem areas.

There are two modes built into the Lernstift: calligraphy mode tracks only the neatness and correctness of your handwriting. In orthography mode, the pen keeps track of your spelling and grammar errors. The pen even detects writing that is done in the air rather than on a surface, but there is a ballpoint writing instrument inside for when you feel like putting pen to paper.

Both modes help kids or anyone else learn to write correctly, both in form and technical content. Obviously, a tool like this would be excellent for helping children stay on track with their spelling and grammar. This is especially important today since it seems like kids have all but given up on writing in favor of texting.

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