Rewind: 27 STEM kits from 2015

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These STEM toys from 2015 are helping to inspire the next generation of Makers.

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STEM education has been a growing venture in schools across the country, with even the President himself making it a priority to encourage students as young as grade-school to pursue the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines. After all, these fields are changing the world rapidly within the areas of innovation, economic growth and employment. But let’s face it; these subjects don’t come easy to everyone, so how do we instill STEM in kids?

With this in mind, many startups have sought out new and exciting ways to entice the younger generation to explore their creativity and develop an interest in hands-on learning. Testament to that, here are several products from 2015 looking to inspire the next generation of Makers.

littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets

The Gizmos & Gadgets Kit is the ultimate invention toolbox, complete with motors, wheels, lights , switches, servos, buzzers and even the tools to build a remote control.

Jewelbots

Jewelbots are programmable friendship bracelets that teach girls the basics of coding.

Thimble

Thimble is a monthly subscription service that delivers fun electronic projects with guided tutorials and a helpful community.

Touch Board Starter Kit

Bare Conductive’s Touch Board Starter Kit contains everything you need to transform surfaces, objects or spaces into sensors.

Makey Makey GO

Small enough to fit on your keychain, backpack or bracelet, Makey Makey GO turns everyday objects into touchpads and combines them with the Internet. Say hello to the world’s first invention kit.

RePhone

RePhone from Seeed Studio allows Makers to create a phone themselves in minutes and hack a new way to communicate with things.

mBot

mBot is an all-in-one, Arduino-compatible robot that supports wireless communication and employs Scratch 2.0-like coding.

Ringo

Ringo is a miniature digital pet robot equipped with an accelerometer, a gyrosocope, six RGB LEDs, as well as sound and communication sensors.

Wink

Wink is an Arduino-driven robot designed to help transition students from graphical programming to more powerful written code languages. It’s also the sibling of the aforementioned Ringo.

Kano

Kano is a computer and coding kit for all ages that’s as simple as LEGO, powered by Raspberry Pi.

Primo Cubetto

Primo Cubetto is a smart wooden robot designed to teach kids the basics of coding away from the screen.

Petduino

Petduino puts a DIY twist on the old-school Tamagotchi.

STEMI

STEMI is a hexapod that can be built right at home and controlled via smartphone.

mCookie

mCookies are quarter-sized, stackable modules from Microduino that enable young Makers to bring their LEGO projects to life.

Modulo

Modulo is a set of tiny modular circuit boards that takes the hassle out of electronics.

The Crafty Robot

The Crafty Robot is a paper toy unlike any other — plug it into a USB port for 30 seconds, unplug it and you’ve got a moving robot.

Kamigami

Kamigami is an origami-style robot you can construct and program by yourself. Each one can be configured with a unique set of behaviors and characteristics through a drag-and-drop interface.

Phiro

Phiro is a LEGO-compatible robotics toy that children can play with, code and innovate in various ways.

Quirkbot

With Quirkbot, young Makers can devise and configure quirky robots (hence its name), blinking outfits and weird sounding creatures out of regular drinking straws.

Cannybots

Cannybots are LEGO-compatible, smart toy cars that introduce kids to the worlds of robotics, programming and 3D printing.

3DRacers

3DRacers is a Mario Kart-like indoor racing game that lets anyone design and 3D print their own car.

Volta Flyer

Volta Flyer is the world’s first DIY airplane kit that is solely powered by the sun.

Roby

Roby is a 3D-printed robotic machine that not only drives on four wheels, but can walk on two. If it falls, it can even pick itself up again with its pair of arms.

O Watch

O Watch is a DIY smartwatch for a kid, by a kid.

LocoRobo

LocoRobo is a cute, inexpensive robot capable of being wirelessly programmed.

KamiBot

KamiBot is a programmable, smartphone-controlled paper robot.

Pixel Pals

Pixel Pals are easy-to-build, fun educational kits that grow from a project to a friend you can program.

Fiat Lux

Fiat Lux is an Arduino-compatible kit specifically designed for unique wearable projects.

AZIBOt

AZIBOt is an open source, 3D-printed robot kit for STEM education in Africa.

21 smart crowdfunding campaigns you may want to back this week

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Every Friday, we’re taking a look at some of the smartest, most innovative projects that have caught our attention on Kickstarter and Indiegogo over the last seven days. 

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Buddy

This adorable companion robot can improve your everyday life by protecting your home as a security guard, entertaining your kids as a playmate and structuring your schedule as a personal assistant. Blue Frog Robotics is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

Jewelbots

These Arduino-compatible, customizable friendship bracelets teach girls the basics of coding. Jewelbots is currently seeking $30,000 on Kickstarter.

Vortex

This responsive robot for kids isn’t only fun to play with, but is open source and completely programmable as well. DFRobot is currently seeking $54,035 on Kickstarter.

BLINKY.SHOES

These LED strips will make your shoes light up in bright, colorful patterns with every step. Ultimate Celebration is currently seeking $5,000 on Kickstarter.

Smart Tracker 2

This real-time GPS tracker will let you keep tabs on anything from anywhere. Smart Tracker is currently seeking $30,000 on Indiegogo.

Trakkies

This tracking device — which comes in two different forms with varying ranges — can be attached to just about any object, warning you whenever it is left behind. Trakkies is currently seeking $112,229 on Kickstarter.

REMzen

This intelligent mask analyzes your sleep while waking you up naturally with spectral light therapy. REMzen is currently seeking $15,000 on CrowdSupply.

Saent

This hardware and software solution keeps you focused on the task at hand by blocking out distractions and finding your optimal work rhythm. Saent is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

Zodiac FX

This board provides many of the features of an OpenFlow switch at a fraction of the cost, and is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Northbound Networks is currently seeking $30,693 on Kickstarter.

Swish

This wearable basketball app offers tips, tricks and data as you’re playing, giving you access to the insight of the best coaches and players. Onyx Motion is currently seeking $7,870 on Indiegogo.

DropAP

This high-performance, smart router integrates with cloud services and mobile apps to extend beyond the home. DropAP is currently seeking $45,000 on Indiegogo.

IRDuino

This open source, Arduino-compatible USB infrared receiver gives new life to old remote controls. IRDuino is currently seeking $2,000 on CrowdSupply.

Biom

This flower pot connects to an accompanying app over Wi-Fi, transforming your plant into a “vegetal cyborg.” Biom is currently seeking $55,183 on Kickstarter.

Caruma

This all-in-one gadget links your car to the cloud to deliver notifications and advice, log trips, and livestream dual high-definition video right to your phone. Caruma is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

HamShield

This shield allows your Arduino to communicate with people and things far away using powerful amateur radio bands. Maker Casey Halverson is currently seeking $25,000 on Kickstarter.

ODO

This solar-powered, autonomous irrigation system is comprised of a controller, a gateway, sensors, sprinklers and a mobile app that can manage up to four lines at once. One Drop One Solutions is currently seeking $86,151 on Kickstarter.

EyeControl

This pair of portable glasses enables those with ALS to communicate by translating eye movements into spoken words or text. EyeControl is currently seeking $30,000 on Indiegogo.

Sensory Percussion

This sensor clamps to the side of a drum and connects to a software program to turn your kit into an expressive controller for digital sounds. Sunhouse is currently seeking $80,000 on Kickstarter.

ePawn Arena

This unique board interfaces with your smartphone, tablet or PC to let you use real world objects as game pieces. ePawn is currently seeking $165,652 on Kickstarter.

MOVI

This offline speech recognizer and voice synthesizer adds voice control functionality to any Arduino project. Audeme is currently seeking $12,000 on Kickstarter.

Helmet

This family monitor comes with an interactive social community that lets you share your favorite moments publicly or with authorized users. iBaby Labs is currently seeking $15,000 on Indiegogo.

If your project is powered by Atmel MCUs and you’ve been featured on our blog, be sure to download the respective badges here for use in your ongoing marketing efforts. 

These friendship bracelets will introduce more female programmers to the world

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Jewelbots is reinventing the classic charm bracelet as a Bluetooth-enabled wearable that will teach girls how to code.

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Developers Sara Chipps, Brooke Moreland and Maria Paula Saba have noticed that there is an extreme lack of women in the STEM-related fields. And although research has shown that 75% of girls were interested in such disciplines, a vast majority are choosing not to pursue computer science. In order to help combat this downward trend, the team has designed a new product that they hope will introduce the future generation of female engineers to coding. Unlike other wearable gadgetry on the market today, which track steps, count calories and monitor heart rates, Jewelbots are programmable bracelets that enable its young users to personalize and build their own custom features.

Originally inspired by the popularity of Minecraft for the predominantly adolescent male crowd, the entrepreneurs wanted to establish a similar environment for girls that would also allow them to explore their creativity and write their own mods.

Makers begin with a simple IFTTT-like statements on an accompanying mobile app. Once they are ready to advance, girls can plug their device into a PC, and using the open source Arduino IDE, customize their bracelets to their liking with sample libraries on the startup’s website. For instance, they can program their jewelry to illuminate with every new Instagram follower, when they receive a text from mom, their favorite TV show is about to start, or even if there is a change in the weather forecast. However, the possibilities are only limited to the imagination of its wearer.

Beyond that, the bands help keep girls stay in touch with their friends. Connected through Bluetooth Low Energy, the bracelets create a mesh network that lets users communicate with other Jewelbots wearers nearby, even without a paired phone or Wi-Fi. The Jewelbots can blink, vibrate and light up to communicate in Morse code. In terms of hardware, each unit is packed with a BLE SoC, a vibration motor, four LEDs, a button and a battery which can be recharged via USB.

“The numbers of women in computer science have actually shrunk since the mid 80s. At the same time, engineering and tech jobs are growing like crazy,” Moreland explains. “We want to inspire a deep curiosity and lasting love for computers and programming. A love that these girls can take with them throughout their careers and lives.”

As a way to test their theory, the team launched “Take Your Daughter To Hack.” During these daylong, bi-coastal events, parents and daughters (sons, too) were given the chance to devise wearables using the highly-popular Arduino GEMMA (ATtiny85) as well as a HTML/CSS workshop using Tumblr to make fun and engaging projects together. Safe to say, they were a success!

While its prototypes are currently being finalized, the end product will make its debut at the tail-end of summer, with widespread delivery expected to get underway in March 2016. At that time, the bracelets will come in a variety of colors — including pink, green, lavender, red, garnet, blue, teal, gray and back — and will be just as fashionable as they are fun! Interested? Head over to Jewelbot’s official Kickstarter page, where the New York City-based startup is seeking $30,000.