A Maker’s palette for your next Arduino masterpiece

Every Maker out there probably has an area in their home that is littered with bits and pieces that haven’t found their way to the proper storage container. Searching through a sea of parts makes the prototyping process infinitely more difficult. That’s where the ProtoPalette comes in…

Karl Alexius and Will Pemble were having organizational issues when working on their respective Atmel based projects. When sharing similar difficulties, they decided to put their brilliant minds together and devise a portable, fully-customizable platform that enables Makers to create their Arduino projects all while keeping the necessary components readily accessible.

“We wanted to build and create with Arduino. But, every time we got started, the confusing mess of parts and pieces stopped us in our tracks,” stated Alexius. “Then it hit me!”

From these brainstorming sessions, the ProtoPalette was born. The device is moldable to any Maker’s desire and can help an innovator test, design and prototype nearly anything they can dream up.

“It takes so much mental energy to organize a simple electronics project that most people quit before they build what they envisioned,” the duo explains. “Because it is difficult – especially for inventor types – to stay focused on their creative vision and get things done, most [Atmel powered] Arduino projects die in a pile of unused, misunderstood components.”

Essentially, ProtoPalette is a large printed circuit board in the shape of an artist’s palette that organizes and makes sense of those Arduino components and sensors lying around. “Making with Arduino, you need one of two things. A bucket of sensors, breadboards, parts and pieces that have to be organized… or a ProtoPalette,” Pemble shares. “For creative inventor types, ProtoPalette lets you focus on your vision instead of keeping things tidy.”

ProtoPalette comes with a plethora of components including pins, boards, motors, buzzers, and sensors that each have their own specified area on the palette; therefore, sorting through each unit is incredibly simple, thus making access to them easy and more intuitive.

Those who attended the recent World Maker Faire in New York may have had the chance to see this nifty design firsthand — where it not only garnered quite the crowd but even an Editor’s Choice Award. During the Faire, our friends at Hackaday dubbed the innovation as “a stylized version of the old ‘parts and springs and wire’ Radio Shack beginner electronic kits.”

Having already exceeded its original $3,500 goal by nearly $2,000 so far, the ProtoPalette will ideally be shipped to its initial Kickstarter backers in November.

Scratch Duino is an open-source magnetic robot on wheels

Scratch Duino — which recently made its Kickstarter debut — is an incredibly customizable and accessible robot-building platform that any Maker will find helpful in their tinkering endeavors.

Scratch Duino is an educational tool at heart. The ease of use will help foster the robot design process for Makers young and old. The team describes the device as, “a complete solution, which combines both hardware and software in a single extendable setup.” Once perusing the inner components, it is hard to argue with that statement!

Featuring plastic encased parts designed for extended durability and kid resiliency, the kit includes two light sensors, two contact sensors, two reflective object sensors, and an infrared eye. At the heart of the project lies an Arduino Uno (ATmega328) programmed with the Scratch language, which was developed by MIT.

One component of the platform that enhances ease-of-use and facilitates speedy configuration is that the sensor modules attach to the robot base magnetically — up to 5 sensors can be attached to the platform simultaneously.

“Right out of the box our robot is ready to collect data and process it according to a piece of code you design with Scratch. This makes our robots flexible and interactive,” a company rep notes.

Now, there are plenty of robot kits out there on the market, but the Scratch Duino sports a little style in a sometimes-bland market. The unit comes in three distinct finishes: plywood, transparent plastic and colored plastic. Each finish can add a sense of character to a particular robotic creation.

While some of the aspects of the Scratch Duino may be introductory, seasoned Makers can utilize the Arduino IDE to hack into the inner workings of the kit and assemble intricate robotic systems.

The team behind the Scratch Duino is currently seeking $105,000 in funding to streamline their assembly process and increase sales volume. At the moment, the robots are manufactured at Fablabs and makerspaces to continue spurring global community development. Whether you’re ready to tinker or interested in backing this latest Atmel powered Kickstarter project, head over to their official  page here.

Team of young Makers create exoskeleton to help kids with cerebral palsy

While most high school students spend their summer months washing dishes, flipping burgers or lying poolside, a group of young Makers from Granada Hills Charter High School used their time and knowledge to design a low-cost exoskeleton that would help children with cerebral palsy learn to walk.

The project is a result of a partnership between the Los Angeles-based GHCHS Robotics Club and Not Impossible Labs, who has become well-known for using technological innovations to improve individual livelihoods as well as humanity as a whole.

Many exoskeleton designs built to aid those inflicted with cerebral palsy can set you back anywhere between $300,000 – $500,000, but the students worked to create a system that would cost a fraction of that sum.

Using 3D-printed parts, four motors, a treadmill and a harness, the GHCHS team led by Joel Simonoff was able to devise a fully-functional prototype.

“We are incredibly excited because we have started to have the motors run simulated patterns. We are very excited to see that, even at full speed, the motor stops on a dime, and they are very accurate down to a few tenths of a degree,” Simonoff said.

With their first iteration completed, the team was privileged to receive working feedback from Dylan Edwards, PhD, PT and David Putrino, PhD, PT of the renowned Burke Rehabilitation Center.

This expert input will surely help guide the young Makers’ design down the proper path. While the team has seen some major successes like the unit’s instant stopping ability, they have recently reached out to the programming community at large to figure out how to have the hips and knees move in unison. In true Maker form, Simonoff and his team will steadily enhance their project, as they look forward to the day they will be able provide a cheaper therapy option for those with cerebral palsy.

In the words of Not Impossible Labs, this entire endeavor “is all about kids helping kids.” During a time that many of their peers may have wasted away, these kids were working diligently to improve the lives of others.

As Makers continue to explore the use of 3D printing to enhance the lives of those with disabilities, it’s exciting to see what medical marvels the next generation of Makers will develop using Atmel powered machines.

Deadline for Simply AVR Design Contest extended

Back in March, Atmel launched the second stage of its Simply AVR Design Contest, which challenged Makers, designers and engineers to develop clever, ground-breaking microcontroller-based designs using its popular AVR MCUs. After seeing a number of amazing designs come through over the last few months, we have decided to extend the deadline by two weeks — giving Makers inspired from Maker Faire New York and Rome a final chance to submit their 8-bit ideas!

The Simply AVR first prize winner will receive $1,500 in cash, as well as some social media stardom across each of Atmel’s industry-leading channels. Each of the four runner-ups will claim a $500 cash prize, along with some coverage as well. Not too shabby!

So, why AVR? Atmel’s 8-bit microcontrollers offer Makers ease-of-use, low power consumption, and high level of integration all at their fingertips. Based on a single-cycle RISC engine that combines a rich instruction set, the incredibly-popular MCUs deliver close to 1 MIPS per megahertz and are optimized for minimum code size and maximum computing performance. Ideal for a broad range of applications — including industrial control, ZigBee and RF, medical and utility metering, communication gateways, sensor control, white goods and portable battery-powered products — AVR accelerates the time it takes to bring an idea to life.

Looking for some last-minute inspiration? This video from Analog Aficionado Paul Rako may help do the trick.

Whether you’re in the process of completing or still brainstorming your next design, don’t forget to enter your project today! Deadline is October 17, 2014.

Preview: World Maker Faire New York 2014

Are you excited? We sure are! Atmel is getting ready to take center stage at the 5th Annual World Maker Faire 2014 in New York City on September 20th and 21st. Undoubtedly, this year will be amazing as an expected 750+ Makers and 85,000+ attendees head to the New York Hall of Science to see the latest DIY gizmos and gadgets. Once again a Silversmith Sponsor of the event, Atmel will put the spotlight on everything from Arduino to Arduino-related projects.

Our team is en route to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, where you will soon find us setting up booth #EP24. (Program guide available here.) During this weekend’s show, we will be showcasing a wide range of projects, platforms and devices from the Makers and companies inspiring today’s DIY Movement.

Even better, you don’t need to wait until Saturday for the making to begin! On the evening of Friday, September 19th, Atmel and Arduino will be hosting a Maker Meet & Greet at the New York Hall of Science. Starting at 6:30pm, join the one-and-only Massimo Banzi and Atmel’s Reza Kazerounian for live demos, Q&A with guests, a paella dinner and… wait for it…. a special announcement! Space is limited and RSVP is required. Those interested may send a request to pr@atmel.com.

So, what else will you find in booth #EP24?

Bob Martin, also known as Atmel’s Wizard of Make and Warp Drive Propulsion Engineer, will be demonstrating uToT Robots and hacking Hexbugs.

Dan Ujvari, Atmel’s MakerBot Magician and Senior FAE, will be showcasing some of his latest creations from a MakerBot desktop 3D printer.

Arduino will be highlighting some of its latest boards, as well as exploring basic principles of electronics and programming. Booth visitors will have the chance to experience firsthand how easy it is to make LEDs blink, turn motors and make buzzers buzz.

Quin Etnyre, 13-year-old CEO of QTechknow, will be hosting his robotics challenge, “The Qtechknow Olympics.”

SparkFun will be joining us in our booth to run a number of soldering workshops, where participants will have the chance to solder new PTH SparkFun interactive badges! Once soldered, these badges will become a trivia game. The participant can put the badges into three small interactive stations which have electronics-based trivia questions on them. If the questions are answered correctly, the stations add points to the badges. Each point adds a new color to the LED on the top of the badge. Points add up to discounts at SparkFun.com!

littleBits, who just announced the launch of the “app store” for hardware store bitLab, will show off a number of their latest electronic building blocks — perfect for young Makers and those looking to hop onboard the DIY train.

AVR Man, the Maker community’s favorite superhero will be in attendance for the first time EVER!

Look who’s talking! Don’t miss Saturday’s Curiosity, Imagination and Motivation: The Natural Inclinations of Young Makers panel discussion on the MAKE: Live Stage at 5:30pm. Atmel’s Bob Martin and Daniel Ujvari will explore the how the STEM initiative and Maker Movement are influencing young Makers and helping to create tomorrow’s industry innovators. The panel will feature Arduino’s Massimo Banzi, Qtechknow’s Quin Etnyre, and littleBits’ Ayah Bdeir.

… and wait, there’s more! We’ll be giving away a number of Atmel Xplained Mini Pro Evaluation Kits all weekend.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Tweet a pic of you and @TheAVRMan using the hashtag #AtmelMakes.
Step 2: Once your tweet is favorited by AVR Man, come on by the Atmel booth.
Step 3: Submit your contact information and away you go with a free kit. (While supplies last.)

Aside from kits, you can walk away with an Atmel Maker Bag, flair, stickers or even a pair of Atmel Maker Converse (which are amazing… and available for purchase).

World Maker Faire will kick off at the New York Hall of Science on Saturday, September 20th, from 10am to 7pm and Sunday, September 21st, from 10am to 6pm. Can’t make it to the Faire? You can always follow @Atmel live on Twitter for the latest updates, trends and happenings from the show. Tweet #AtmelMakes!

A braille printer, a retro robot, a marshmallow canon, or perhaps even a prototype of the next big IoT device? If you’re feeling inspired this weekend go and make something, don’t forget to submit your 8-bit idea for a chance to win $1,500 in cash, social stardom and of course, some Atmel swag.

In anticipation of this weekend, here’s a look back at last year’s Faire. We can’t wait to see what unfolds this year!

The Arduweenie is shining bright for Maker Faire

This is the tell-all guide to #Arduweenie, a bewitching Maker project brought to you by Tenaya Hurst of Rogue Making and dog hunter LLC.

My project is a wire frame in the shape of a dachshund dog wrapped with a 5-meter long RGB LED strip which I program. That’s all he is, and yet, loved by so many children and Maker Faire attendees alike. It all started one cold rainy day…

I was teaching and facilitating a class with Workshop Weekend at Tech Liminal in Oakland, CA. We provide a weekend for Makers to consult with electrical engineers, software engineers, and teachers like me, to better understand electronics. One of our makers was leading a class in LED strips and I was immediately enthralled. We had a big five meter strip going down the middle of our long table and we saw all the demonstrations of the way we could change the patterns using Arduino IDE – a programming environment.

I couldn’t wait to show my students at Galileo’s Tech Summer Camps at the Tech Museum of Innovation. I teach three classes there – Circuits & Electronics, Wearable Tech, and Maker Studio. The problem I faced was how to display the LED strip to effectively show off the patterns, but also make the display portable. When I was a little kid, I played with Light Bright, so this would be a 3D programmable version!

Also since I was a kid, I’ve loved dachshunds or wiener dogs. They’re simply the best. Sure, I have been sad that I can’t bring my dog, Woodchuck, to my various workshops. Obviously, I want to be focused on making and teaching, not my dog, but I still feel bad that he must be left at home. So that influenced the solution to my problem. I wanted something that would remind me of Woodchuck and some way to display my LED strip… the ideas were swirling!

At the same time, a friend of mine was designing his garden and started getting into topiary shapes. Also, I happen to just see the amazing documentary “A Man Named Pearl” about a very inspiring artist who happens to use trees and shrubs as his medium. Finally, I happened upon Etsy and found the answer – exactly what I needed!  A topiary shape of a dachshund, custom made by Gina Moll of Hollywood, Florida.

The RGB LED strip fits perfectly around the little dachshund allowing for fun rainbow patterns, color chasing functions, Cheshire cat swirls, and more. I tooled around with #Arduweenie for months and he made a few appearances in my classrooms. It wasn’t until an Open Make event at the Tech Museum of Innovation in April 2014, that #Arduweenie made the leap to true Twitter fame. A photo taken by Rebekah and tweeted by Prinda got the attention of Atmel’s VP of Marketing, Sander Arts. After all, nearly all Arduinos feature an Atmel chip, ranging from the ATmega32u4 to SAM3X8E. The #Arduweenie features an Arduino Uno (ATmega328).

Last April, I hosted The Tech Challenge, a large scale engineering challenge. Sander Arts was a special guest, but I didn’t get to meet him that day – as host I was on stage the entire event introducing the teams. It later all came together at Maker Faire San Mateo 2014 when my Linino.org exhibition booth was adjacent to the Atmel-Arduino installation. Sander was very kind and came to meet me in person with his team. I was so graciously included in three photos on Atmel’s blog about the Maker Faire – and #Arduweenie made it in two photos as well!

Since becoming famous, #Arduweenie has delighted students in my classrooms from San Jose to Oakland, Santa Rosa to San Francisco.

Side note: For those of you who may not know, we love making chippy puns to hit tunes from both yesterday and today. (Right, Sir Mix-A-Lot?) And, with her rendition of Katy Perry’s “Birthday,” Tenaya’s “Happy Making” doesn’t disappoint. Happy Maker Week, everyone! 

16-year-old Maker creates device that converts breath to speech

A high school student from India Arsh Shah Dilbagi has devised a product that enables individuals with disabling diseases to communicate via breath, for a cost a hundred times less than similar products on the market.

Dilbagi’s Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) prototype, entitled “TALK,” was created using a pair of Atmel powered Arduinos. The first Arduino converts a user’s breath into Morse code with the help of a MEMS Microphone. The MEMS Microphone uses incredibly sensitive diaphragms to sense event he slightest breathe. “TALK expects a person to be able to give two distinguishable exhales (by varying intensity/time) for converting into electrical signals,” Dilbagi writes.

The second Atmel based microprocessor translates the code generated by the MEMS into a computer-generated voice. The Maker elaborates on the voice functionality by stating, “TALK features two modes — one to communicate in English and another to give specific commands/phrases, and 9 different voices.”

Dilbagi, who prefers to go by the nickname Robo, notes that 1.4% of the population suffers from some sort of malady that inhibits their ability to speak. His affordable design could allow for millions of individuals across the planet to communicate in a way they had never been able to before.

Of course, assistive communication devices like the Intel-based one used by Stephen Hawking are considerably more advanced. The software keyboard Dilbagi uses can predict words so he only has to enter a few characters — entered by stopping a moving cursor at the right moment — before the program can complete the word or phrase.

TALK has already seen some success in the field, as Robo notes he “was able to arrange a meeting with the Head of Neurology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi and tested Talk (under supervision of doctor and in controlled environment) with a person suffering from SEM and Parkinson’s Disease.” Dilbagi was excited to learn a patient was, “able to give two distinguishable signals using his breath and the device worked perfectly.”

Now, this is what we call ‘making’ a difference! Using the powers of today’s Maker Movement, the 16 year-old student developed a device that accomplishes the same basic tasks as a $7,000-10,000 computer for on $80 — all while enhancing the lives of others along the way. From 3D-printed prosthetics to brain-controlled devices, Dilbagi joins a number of other Makers who have turned to AVR powered technology to help others overcome disabilities.

Dilbagi’s incredibly innovative project was part of Google Global Science Fair, where he was the only finalist from Asia in this year’s competition. To read the entire TALK project breakdown, head over to Robo’s design write-up.

 

Don’t miss a thing with this DIY iOS notifications viewer

Maker Luke Berndt wasn’t satisfied with his iPhone’s traditional Notification Center, as he found he was randomly missing call or message notices. Taking matters into his own hands, Berndt tasked the phone’s Apple Notifications Center Services (ANCS) to communicate with an Atmel based Arduino to make sure he never missed a beat!

Utilizing ANCS ability to send out notifications over Bluetooth LE, the Maker took a compatible Arduino shield and synced it with his iPhone. When describing the ANCS’ functionality, Luke says, “that it works natively and doesn’t require any Apps to be installed on the iOS device,” therefore allowing plenty of tinkering to occur.

Once the phone and shield were paired, Berndt attached a simple LCD screen to provide constant visual updates. “The library works around call backs and will call the function you specify when a device connects/disconnects and sends a Notification.” Thus assuring you are always up to date on your latest communications.

Though the Maker’s project is still a work in progress, he plans on expanding the memory in coming weeks to add the device’s functionality. He is currently auditioning names for his creation and is pondering the moniker of Notif. Sounds good to us, Luke!

To read more about this build, head over to the project’s original blog post.

DIY by the numbers: Why the Maker Movement is here to stay

Throughout the world, millions of engineers, Makers, hobbyists, entrepreneurs and innovators are fueling what has been dubbed as the next “Industrial Revolution.”

“The next Industrial Revolution is right around the corner, and it’s going to be bigger than the Internet — or so says a growing army of hackers, designers, artists and entrepreneurs,” USA Today’s Tyler Wells recently penned in a piece detailing the rise of DIY culture, contributing its emergence to the low-cost, high-imagination level of makerspaces popping up across the country.

In the United States alone, there are approximately 135 million adult Makers — that’s well over half (57%) of the American population ages 18 and up — not including children and teens both interested in STEM and tinkering. Evident by the plethora of Maker Faires, makerspaces and other hubs spanning across the nation, this segment is expanding rapidly in size and economic heft. In fact, did you know the Maker Movement pumps roughly $29 billion into the economy each year? What’s even more impressive is that these figures will surely grow as more and more of the population is introduced to and begins to embrace the DIY culture.

“With the right motivation and time on your hands, you can now go through your own personal industrial revolution in 90 days, and can launch a company or product within those 90 days,” TechShop CEO Mark Hatch explains. Furthering the Techshop CEO’s belief, Gartner’s Jim Tully recently projected that by 2018, nearly 50% of the Internet of Things solutions would be provided by startups which are less than three years old.

Martha Stewart, who recently demonstrated her passion for the growing drone community, has also emphasized the importance of the movement time and time again. The queen of DIY revealed, “The Maker spirit is vital to our economy. In the U.S., 28 million small businesses create nearly two out of every three new jobs and employ half the private sector workforce. That’s why I believe it’s so important to support what they do. After so many years of seeking and spotlighting these creative entrepreneurs, I am excited that this movement has finally come to the forefront of American culture.”

Yet, the Maker Movement isn’t only limited to hobbyists and engineers but has transcended well beyond the walls of the 200-plus hackerspaces and labs. Not only is the notion of DIY being seeded and nurtured by Makers, it is in full blossom throughout the world at rapid pace, ranging from consumer products and mainstream retail to manufacturing and consumer goods.

These statistics are a mere testament to the emergence of the movement. Hear ye hear ye, a renaissance is underway!

• In 2013, there were 100 Maker Faires around the world including its two flagship events in the Bay Area and New York and 93 worldwide mini-faires.
• There were over 280,000 Maker Faire attendees in total last year, with a 62% rise in attendance from 2009 to 2013.
• Around 70,000 people headed to World Maker Faire in 2013, with 47% of them being new attendees.
• The White House held its inaugural Maker Faire in 2014. “Today’s D.I.Y. is tomorrow’s ‘Made in America.'”
• MAKE Magazine subscriptions are up to 125,00 and growing at a rate of 20% annually.
• There are now over 200 hackerspaces across the United States. (New York Times, May 2013)
• There approximately 350 Fab Labs spanning across 40 countries. (World Bank, August 2014)
• 3 million people pledged over $480 million in crowdfunding projects in 2013. (The Next Web, January 2014)
• The world’s crowdfunding sites reached close to $5 billion in transactions last year. (Forbes, April 2013)
• Since its launch in 2009, more than $116 million has been raised for over 1,400 technology projects — a number of which have been hardware gadgets powered by Atmel
• By 2025, crowdfunding investment market is projected to reach $93 billion. (PBS, December 2013)
• The 3D printing market is projected to be worth $8 billion by 2020 (MarketsandMarkets, November 2013)
• World demand for 3D printing is projected to increase more than 20% per year to $5 billion in 2017. (Reports and Reports, December 2013)
• Worldwide shipments of 3D printers priced less than $100,000 grew 49% in 2013, reaching a total of 56,507 units. (Gartner, October 2013)
• The U.S. market for 3D printer manufacturing will reach $1.4 billion in 2014, attaining a CAGR of 22.8% from 2009 to 2014. (Forbes, August 2014)
• 3D printers will grow from a $288 million market in 2012 to $5.7 billion in 2017, attaining an 81.9% CAGR. (Forbes, August 2014) 
• Much of the growth in 3D printing from 2014 to 2020 will come from the healthcare and aerospace industries. (MarketsandMarkets, November 2013)
• 67% of manufacturers are currently implementing 3D printing either in full production or pilot and 25% intend to adopt 3D printing in the future. (Forbes, August 2014)
• 48% of large manufacturers plan on returning production in the United States. (BCG, April 2012)
• About 14% of U.S. companies definitely plan to move some of their manufacturing back home. (Wall Street Journal, July 2014)
• Chris Anderson estimates that the DIY Drone community currently boasts well over 15,000 drones, compared to just 7,000 “professional” drones in use worldwide by military forces.
• Etsy has 875,000 shops with 13,000,000 items and out of those, 2,900,000 items sold monthly. (BitRebels, June 2012)
• There are also 15 million DIYers in over 150 countries on Etsy with 690,000 new members joining each month. (BitRebels, June 2012)
• It was estimated in mid-2011 that over 300,000 official Arduinos had been commercially produced, and in 2013 that 700,000 official boards were in users’ hands. (Medea, April 2013)
• Distributors estimate that over one million Atmel powered Arduinos have been sold since 2005. (Designboom, September 2013)

As Arduino’s Michael Shiloh explained, “It [Maker Movement] is sort of like cooking. You don’t need to be a chef to cook, but almost everyone can cook something.” Without question, the Maker Movement has already and will continue to thrive in our DIY-centric culture. In time, we can surely expect to see Makers shape our future — one project at a time.

Don’t forget to join the Atmel team in Queens this week for the 5th Annual World Maker Faire. Undoubtedly, this year will be amazing as an expected 750+ Makers and 85,000+ attendees head to the New York Hall of Science to see the latest DIY gizmos and gadgets, as well as AVR Man in the flesh. Once again a Silversmith Sponsor of the event, Atmel will put the spotlight on everything from Arduino to Arduino-related projects. See you soon!

The Tech Challenge wins Noyce Foundation Award

For 27 years, The Tech Challenge, a signature program of The Tech Museum of Innovation, has inspired creativity and equipped students with hands-on experiences in engineering design and real-world problem solving. In recognition of the museum’s continued efforts in STEM, it was named a recipient of this year’s Noyce Foundation “Bright Lights Community Engagement Award” for the the museum’s annual design and engineering program.

“This award is a tremendous honor for The Tech,” explained President Tim Ritchie. “The prize will be used to deepen The Tech Challenge’s penetration into communities that need it most — those full of kids who are at the margins of the mainstream, for whom deep engagement with science and technology is more elusive than it should be.”

Each year, The Tech Challenge program presents a project geared to solving a real-world problem and teaches the complete engineering process — research, brainstorm, design, prototype, test, iterate. The program, which attracts more than 2,000 students, culminates with two event days during which teams of students present their innovations to volunteer judges from the Silicon Valley technology world. Throughout its history, The Tech Challenge has steadily increased participation among low-income children and girls through targeted and effective community outreach. In fact, nearly 40% of participants are from low-income families and 45% are girls.

In a pool of 94 applicants judged through three rounds, The Tech was one of seven winners. In addition to The Tech, the winners included Explora (Albuquerque, NM); the Hands On Children’s Museum (Olympia, WA); the Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN); the Monterey Bay Aquarium; the Museum of Science and Industry (Tampa, FL); and The Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, PA).

“The program’s success in engaging low-income kids and girls has been remarkable,” the Noyce Foundation wrote.

With the emergence of the Maker Movement, a growing number of schools and museums are creating new programs to enable a greater convergence of both art and technology. Many would compare this “new industrial revolution” as the combination of the old shop class spirit with modern-day technology in do-it-yourself spaces.

Atmel would like to congratulate The Tech Challenge for its recent accomplishment. Keep up the good work!