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.

19 smart crowdfunding campaigns you may want to back this week

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

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PINE A64

This is the world’s first $15 64-bit single-board super computer. PINE64 has already garnered more than $360,000 on Kickstarter.

Omate Rise

This standalone, water-resistant smartwatch boasts a carbon fiber bezel and is powered by Android 5.1. Omate hit its goal of $30,000 in less than 15 minutes.

Thimble

This subscription service delivers a new DIY electronics project to your door each month. Oscar Pedroso and David Brenner have hit their $25,000 goal on Kickstarter.

ONAGOfly

This palm-sized drone features auto-follow capabilities and a high-res camera. ONAGOfly has flown right by its $150,000 goal on Indiegogo.

FLUXO

This smart pendant lamp lets you move the light in any direction using simple paint gestures on your phone. Luke Roberts has already well surpassed its $54,266 goal on Kickstarter.

ZKOO

This hand gesture tracking camera offers a new way to play and interact with hundreds of your existing games and apps. Exvision has reached its goal of $15,000 on Kickstarter.

Evo-One

This sleek desktop CNC mill can be used on a variety of materials, from wood to plastic to metal. MakerDreams is currently seeking $65,432 on Kickstarter.

SwapBots

This set of collectable toys are brought to life by your smartphone or tablet using augmented reality. SwapBots is currently seeking $100,000 on Indiegogo.

Pivot

This first-ever tennis wearable is equipped with an innovative multi-sensor and full body motion analysis to help you master complex movements, avoid injuries and conquer the competition. TuringSense is nearing its $75,000 goal on Indiegogo.

BLUEGUARD-E

This smart lock transforms your smartphone into a digital key, providing simple, affordable and real-time control over home access from anywhere in the world. Lark-Wi is currently seeking $80,000 on Kickstarter.

SunnyBAG Smart Battery

This smart power bank is capable of visualizing solar-generated energy and consumption, sharing your experiences on social media, receiving automatic theft alerts and even capturing selfies. SunnyBAG is close to doubling its $10,000 goal on Kickstarter.

Luna

This camera lets you shoot and share 360-degree images and video. Memora Inc. has already reached its goal of $50,000 on Indiegogo.

Seed

This intelligent bottle tracks your water consumption, compiles your health data and keeps you hydrated. Moikit is currently seeking $20,000 on Indiegogo.

The Mondrian

This 3D printer is a compact, robust and highly-customizable RepRap machine. Emmanuel Gilloz is currently seeking $32,789 on Kickstarter.

ARC-One

This affordable, next-generation 3D printer features an easy-to-use interface and a large build volume. Arcadian 3D is currently seeking $300,000 on Kickstarter.

Lockee

This smart lock not only secures, tracks and locates your luggage, but helps return it to you in 48 hours. Lockee is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

Avanca D1

This pair of wireless, ultra-lightweight sports headphones can match any any outfit. Avanca is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo.

NerO

This Arduino Uno-compatible board is based on the FTDI FT231X USB UART and delivers 5V at a full 1A without overheating. Fred Dart is currently seeking $2,257 on Kickstarter.

Symbisa

This IoT toolkit enables you to bring your idea to life in minutes without any hassle or coding. Hanhaa is currently seeking $151,117 on Kickstarter.

Did you happen to miss last week’s notable campaigns? If so, you can check them out here.

 

Thimble delivers monthly DIY electronic kits to your door

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Birchbox is to beauty as Thimble is to DIY electronics. Build a new device every month! 

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The Maker Movement has taken off and diversified the past few years, igniting creativity and innovation in a community of people. For those new to it and interested in getting involved, it can be a bit daunting at first. There’s so much you can build, hack and tinker with, so where do you even start? Makers David Brenner and Oscar Pedroso saw this need, and created a solution to help guide and engage future makers without them feeling intimidated.

After meeting on Hacker News in December 2014, David and Oscar wanted to share their passion for the DIY crowd by finding a way to engage kids and adults in electronics. A year later, Thimble was conceived.

Thimble is a DIY kit accompanied by a learning app, which allows you to build a new electronic device each month. The team has developed a series of monthly kits that teaches users the fundamentals of electronics and how hardware and software come together, so they can innovate and invent from the comfort of their own home.

The first kit is a Wi-Fi-enabled robot, controlled by phone, tablet or laptop. The robot arrives with all the components needed to build the project and step-by-step tutorials on the learning app to guide you through the construction process. Additionally, the app provides a community of other Makers to share knowledge and best practices. By the time you finish making your Wi-Fi bot, you will have learned how to create an Android/iOS app that can move things, understand how electricity, motors and microcontrollers work, and have enough knowledge to try out your own ideas to improve the robot. You can achieve this regardless of your age or background knowledge.

At the heart of the robot is an Arduino. You can program its firmware to talk to the Wi-Fi module that comes with the kit. With it, the robot can receive commands over your wireless network and control the motors. Additional parts included in the kit are a printed circuit board, breadboard, wheels, battery holder, cable, terminal blocks, jumpers and more.

Looking ahead, other projects you could receive range from drones, to alarm clocks, to LED cubes, to light control devices for your home. If monthly shipments are too frequent, or you just want to try the first kit out, Thimble can deliver kits whenever you’d like them instead.

Ready to jumpstart your future as a Maker? Head over to the Thimble Kickstarter page, where David, Oscar and the team are seeking $25,000. You can expect to start building and tinkering when the first batch of units goes out for delivery on April 2016.