Tag: kickstarter

Can a Plush Toy Robot Get Young Kids Interested in STEM?

Posted on by robbie

How many parents have spent countless hours playing Candy Land or Barbies with their kids?
Chris Harden and Jeremy Scheinberg are two dads from Alabama and Florida who grew tired of their children’s toys. The two felt their children weren’t getting much out of playing mindless games, which is why they decided to create a toy that helps kids get a head start on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning.
In less than a week, the pair will crowdfund a campaign on Kickstarter.com for their answer to more STEM-focused toys. TROBO, which connects to an iPad or iPhone app, is a plush toy robot that tells stories of STEM-focused topics to children ages 2 to 7, the Anniston Star reports.

TROBO features two characters: Curie, named for physicist and chemist Marie Curie and Edison, (a shout out to inventor Thomas Edison), both representing STEM heroes. TROBO plans to release more characters if the Kickstarter campaign is successful.

Harden previously served as a Development Director of EA Sports, overseeing the creation of user interface technologies for games like Madden NFL and NCAA Football. Scheinberg was the COO of media manufacturer Alcorn McBride and has worked extensively on rides and shows for NBC, Universal, Lego and Disney.

“It defines us as individuals, and we want to share that to our children as early as we can,” Harden says, referring to STEM education.

While the entry point at which children should begin STEM education remains a point of contention, some advocates argue the earlier the better. In fact, only 16 percent of American high school seniors are considering a career in the STEM fields and are proficient in math, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

“As a society, we have to celebrate outstanding work by young people in science at least as much as we do Super Bowl winners,” President Barack Obama said earlier this year at the White House Science Fair. “Because superstar biologists and engineers and rocket scientists and robot builders, they don’t always get the attention that they deserve, but they’re what’s going to transform our society.”

Beginning with something as simple as a stuffed robot regaling children with STEM stories sounds like a good place to start.

MORE: Ask the Experts: How Can We Fix Early Childhood Education?

Fidgeters, Rejoice! This Giant Rubber Band Will Help You Concentrate

Posted on by robbie

Unless they’re parked in front of the TV, children can be balls of energy. And for the kids who are really active — like the ones who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) — sitting still for long stretches is so much harder, making it difficult to focus in class.
That’s why Scott Ertl, a school counselor at Ward Elementary School in North Carolina, came up with a simple but genius device to help these kids channel all their excess energy.
The product — called Bouncy Bands — is a stretchy tether that can be attached to a student’s desk legs so that he or she can bounce their feet and stretch their legs while quietly working (and without distracting their classmates), the Winston-Salem Journal reports.
Besides those with ADHD, the device can help students who have learning disabilities such as autism, anxiety disorder and restless leg syndrome.
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Surprisingly, fidgeting is important. According to a 2007 Mayo Clinic study, allowing children to move around more while sitting made them more attentive.
Indeed, a reviewer on Amazon writes that the Bouncy Band helped her second grade nephew focus better and have more success in the classroom: “The teacher was pleased because he could pay attention for longer stretches and the movement doesn’t disrupt the class or distract others in any way.”
Ertl tells the Journal that kids with ADHD are hyperactive and do things that can get them in trouble because they don’t know what to do with all this extra energy. “They’re tapping their pencils on the desk or they’re drumming on the table and making noises or leaning back in their chairs,” he says. “They just need extra stimulation.”
Since January, Ertl has sold more than 3,000 Bouncy Bands. At Ward Elementary, students have been using these bands since 2012. Ertl also recently completed a successful Kickstarter to help provide these bands for students across the U.S. who can’t afford them.
Teachers seem to love the product, too. “The funny thing about it was I started using them and didn’t even realize it,” Ward teacher Linda Bohland says. “This is an amazing way to keep [ focused, able to work and move at the same time.”
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DON’T MISS: One Mother’s Amazing Invention Has Given Her Disabled Son the Ability to Walk
 

This Cookbook Teaches You How to Cook on $4 a Day

Posted on by robbie

Many of us have the intention of eating healthy, but have a hard time affording it. After all, nutritious food really does come at a price.
In fact, scholars at the Harvard School of Public Health found that the healthiest diets cost $1.50 more per diets than unhealthy eating. Upon first glance, that might not sound like much, but if you add it up, that’s about $550 a year, which can be difficult for the millions of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck or relying on food stamps.
And with 47 million food stamp recipients hit by a $5 billion cut last November, eating a nutritious meal might not even be an option if the only thing that’s affordable are the nutritionally-void options from McDonalds.
MORE: How to Double the Value of Food Stamps and Get the Best Fresh Food
That’s why Leanne Brown, a food-studies scholar and home cook, put out a cookbook for those who can’t afford to eat healthy. As TreeHugger reports, for her capstone project for a master’s degree at New York University (NYU), Brown created her own 130-page cookbook, Good and Cheap, that’s filled with recipes for people on limited budgets — those who rely on government assistance.
“It bothered me that so many ideas for fixing the food system leave out the poor: it seemed like they didn’t have a voice in the food movement,” she says. “I wanted to create a resource that would promote the joy of cooking and show just how delicious and inspiring a cheap meal can be if you cook it yourself.”
ALSO: Ask the Experts: How to Bring Fresh, Healthy Food to the Neediest Families
And it’s not just peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipes in the cookbook. For $4 a day, one can whip up elaborate meals such as spicy pulled pork sandwiches, peanut sauce noodles with broccoli and smoked tofu, asparagus pizza, and even chase it with homemade horchata.
If you’re interested in whipping up your own Good and Cheap eats, Brown’s entire book of recipes is already available to download for free (nearly 100,000 people have downloaded a draft version, she says). As she writes in her successfully funded Kickstarter campaign, the reason she put out a printed copy of her book is to allow access to people who don’t have computers.
Good food, as this socially-conscious foodie proves, doesn’t have to be expensive.
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DON’T MISS: A Titanic Shift: James Cameron’s School is the First in the Nation To Go 100% Vegan

Civic Crowdfunding: The Future of Paying for Community Projects

Posted on by robbie

When we think of fundraising, most of us probably think of individuals and a private organization, but what about residents and their local government?
Well, Kickstarter-esque campaigns are getting a little kick themselves with the introduction of civic crowdfunding, a joint venture between citizens and the local government to benefit their town or city. Sites like Citizinvestor, Neighbor.ly and IOBY are providing a platform for governments and citizens to suggest community projects for the town and then raise the money to fund it.
The process is simple. Like ordinary crowdfunding, an idea is posted to one of the sites by either the government or an individual. People can then donate funds to the project online, assisting the government with the cost.
MIT’s Center for Civic Media’s Rodrigo Davies has been studying the growth and trends of civic crowdfunding over the past four years and has recently released his report, which focused on seven geographical areas: four in the U.S. and one each in the U.K., Spain and Brazil. Through his research, Davies discovered trends as well as questions that will need to be resolved as civic crowdfunding continues to evolve.
So far, Davies found that civic crowdfunding has been operating on a small scale, but nonetheless, it has been executed with great success. He reports that between 2010 and March 2014 there were 1,224 civic campaigns with a total of $10.74 million raised averaging about $6,357 per project. The greatest success though is that on Kickstarter, a popular crowdfunding website, 81 percent of projects labeled “civic” were fully funded.
Generally, the most common projects are gardens and parks because, Davies reports, they are usually volunteer-based, fast to build, and uncontroversial. And while civic crowdfunding has been limited to a few big cities such as New York and San Francisco, there’s no reason why they cannot spread to small towns and other cities.
The big question, though, is the role of governments in this endeavor. Davies points out that local leadership has three options: It can use the familiar platforms to promote projects, it can organize and execute its own campaigns, or (and this is Davies’s pick) it can adopt a “facilitator” role, in which it will help with financing but will indirectly be responsible. Ultimately, it’s about the government finding a balance between beings supportive and active all the while not overstepping its boundaries.
The bottom line? Citizens will benefit from these projects, even if it takes some time to figure out exactly how civic crowdfunding works best.
MORE: Want A Stake in Your Neighborhood’s Next Development?

When This Grandpa Had Trouble Holding a Glass, His Granddaughter Put on Her Inventor’s Cap

Posted on by robbie

There’s nothing sweeter than a homemade gift from a child. But instead of a macaroni necklace or colorful doodles, 11-year-old Lily Born created an unbreakable, spill-proof cup for her grandfather who has Parkinson’s disease.
In the video below, the Chicago-based preteen explains the touching inspiration behind her invention: the Kangaroo Cup.
“This whole thing all started when I realized that my grandpa was shaking a lot because he had Parkinson’s, and that meant a lot of spilling at every meal,” she says. “That meant a lot of bending and cleaning up for grandma. And that wasn’t good.”
With the help of her inventor father, Joe, Lily created a ceramic, three-legged tumbler that’s more stable to hold onto for people suffering from hand tremors. Lily adorably named her design after kangaroos since the animals use their tails like a third leg to help them stay balanced while jumping and standing.
MORE: This Spoon Restores Dignity to Those with Parkinson’s
The first version of her cup was successfully crowdfunded, but as Fast Company reports, it broke too easily since it was made from ceramic.
Now, Team Roo (as they like to call themselves) has put out a new, improved design that’s made of BPA-free plastic. Not only is it sturdier, but it’s also stackable, has an elevated base so there’s no need for coasters,  stands on uneven surfaces like grass, and comes in a variety of colors. This version was also successfully crowdfunded and is now available to purchase on Kickstarter.
Impressively, the cup’s not just for people who have Parkinson’s. Now that it’s made of plastic, it can be used for anyone who is prone to spills, such as young children. And as this story proves, we should never look down on someone’s abilities (or lack of) just because of their age.
As Lily says, “Just because you’re a kid doesn’t mean you can’t do big and great things.”
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ALSO: This Young Genius Used LEGOs to Create an Incredible Tool for the Blind

Want A Stake in Your Neighborhood’s Next Development?

Posted on by robbie

Real estate is considered a venture for the wealthy, often leaving out the voices of those living next door to new developments. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
With the help of crowdfunding, two brothers have set out to change that dynamic.
In 2010, Ben and Daniel Miller created Fundrise, a crowdfunding platform that allows residents to invest in a project with as little as $100, giving communities a stake in shaping what projects pop up next in their neighborhood. The company officially launched in August of 2012, following the legalization of crowdfunding in the JOBS Acts, according to the New York Times.
Large-scale, institutional investors are often removed from projects in which they pool their cash into, which can lead to a commercial project being a bad fit for a community. So who better to know what an area needs than its locals? If more residents are invested in their community, that could spur more economic growth as well as help determine the best fit for commercial projects.
The Fundrise concept is simple: Developers list projects on the site and investors can invest as much or as little as they want, generating income from rent, if the development is leased or any proceeds or appreciation if a property is sold. The company estimates its investors see a return of 12 to 14 percent after fees.
MORE: It Takes a Village: Crowdfunding Neighborhood Improvement
More than 300 developers have listed on the site over the past several months, financing an estimated $15 million worth of projects in New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Los Angeles, according to Fortune. The new flush of funding will help the site expand to the Seattle and San Francisco markets as well as help the platform scale it’s quickly rapid pace of raising around $1 million per week, according to Ben Miller.
While the company was founded to break down the monopoly big investors have on the market, the Millers are not ruling on enlisting the wealthy for help.

“We found that if you have 1,000 or 2,000 investors, that [will add up to] a few million, but if the project is $10 million, you need $8 million more,” Miller told the Times. “You need to get the scale.”

The company contends that institutional investors will embrace the idea of social capital, working with community members who could help with the exhaustive processes and permits required for urban buildings.

Regardless of how large an investment is, the stakes are high in real estate. But if more neighborhoods begin to work together to determine the future of their community, the investment is priceless.

Take a Look! Levar Burton Tearfully Thanks Supporters After Donations Revive Reading Rainbow

Posted on by robbie

You might have heard that Levar Burton, the delightfully charming host of Reading Rainbow (or Geordi La Forge for you Trekkies out there), reached his fundraising goal to revive the classic PBS show, after a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign.
Burton, in the video below, watches as the online donations rapidly tick past the $1 million goal. With tears in his eyes, he says, “I am so proud that this community has come together to support this effort, and it’s a people’s thing. It’s the $5, it’s the $10, it’s the $25, it’s the $1 pledges and it’s unbelievable. Or actually, it’s very believable.”
MORE: This Is the Most Adorable Way Ever to Get Kids to Read
“We are literally changing the world, one children’s book at a time,” he concluded.
Incredibly, the Kickstarter is now well past $3 million and there’s still an entire month of fundraising left to go.
After the beloved show was pulled off the air in 2009, the Roots actor bought the rights to the franchise, re-launching it as a tablet app in 2012. But, of course, not everyone has an iPad, leaving Reading Rainbow unavailable to many.
With the donations, he is trying to bring Reading Rainbow and its extensive library of books and interactive games to the Internet so needy classrooms around the country can have access to it online for free.
As Burton says in his Kickstarter, one out of every four children in America will grow up illiterate and we cannot afford to lose generations of children to illiteracy.
Burton told People that he wants his product to reach as many schools as possible. “The more money we raise, the more of an effect we can have on the way we are educating our children in this nation, in the classroom – where it really makes a difference.”
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Watch Out, Victoria! This Driven Teen Is Taking On the Bra Industry

Posted on by robbie

Your first bra-shopping experience is a rite-of-passage, but it can sure be uncomfortable. This is especially the case when all you’re confronted with in the lingerie section are ill-fitting sports bras, frilly ones with flowers and butterflies, or even padded push-up bras that are completely inappropriate.
That’s why 18-year-old Megan Grassell is setting out to change the bra industry with her start-up, Yellowberry. The lingerie company makes bras for girls between 11-15 that are comfortable, age-appropriate — and, yes, even cute.
The Jackson, Wyoming high schooler decided to start her company after a disappointing shopping trip with her younger sister, Mary, to buy her first bra. “I couldn’t believe the bras that she was supposed to buy,” the young entrepreneur says. “The choices for her, and for all girls her age (the 11-15 age group) were simply appalling to me. They were all padded, push-up, and sexual. Not only that, they did not fit her body properly, which automatically made me wonder ‘Where were the young, cute, and realistic bras for girls?!'”
MORE: Finally, a Doll Collection to Truly Inspire Young Girls
That’s when she decided she could take on this mission herself. As Megan says, “I realized that I could do it; I could make those bras for girls.”
To build her company, she told Fortune that she used up her own money from summers working at a gas station and waitressing. She also completed a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly $42,000 — almost double her initial goal of $25,000. According to Fast Company, after launching her Yellowberry site, she sold out of her first stock of product in just days. The bras are currently available for pre-order.
Despite her success, she told Fast Company that starting her own business has its difficulties, especially due to her young age and a steep learning curve: “[At first] I didn’t know anything, and I still have so much to learn, but it was hard to get people to take me seriously.”
However, Megan (who is deferring her acceptance to Middlebury College for a year to focus on Yellowberry) remains motivated. The company is currently in phase two of its fundraising campaign so they can put out more bra styles, colors, and even underwear.
ALSO: 4 Out of 5 Black Women Are Overweight. This Group Has the Solution — and They Are on the March
But beyond the bra, the young CEO’s story is also inspiring younger girls, including Madison Kimrey, 12-year-old girl from North Carolina who called Megan a role model for their generation in an open letter.
Megan told Fast Company that she found it humbling for another young girl to see her that way, saying, “I guess in a way I’m trying to change the world a little bit.”
Bra-vo, Megan!
[ph]

These Eighth Graders Wanted a Library. So They’re Building One Themselves

Posted on by robbie

Don’t tell the eighth-graders at Realm Charter School in Berkeley, Calif., that they can’t do something. They’ll end up proving you wrong. As part of an in-school design and building class called Studio H, this gang of 108 13-year-olds is creating a library for their three-year-old school. X-Space, as the students are calling it, is a project that grew from a question their teacher Ms. Nini (Hallie Chen) posed to them: What do you want from your school? “One of the students said they want to find their inner self. One said they want to understand how microphones work,” Chen said in the project’s Kickstarter video. “Overwhelmingly, they all wanted a place to read, relax, focus, learn and explore.” And where’s a better place to do that than in a library?
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The class got together to conceptualize and design every part of the X-Space — from bookmarks to book bags to stamps and, of course, book shelves. That’s where their concept took on a life of its own. The students, inspired by the algebraic concept of solving for X as an unknown, designed what they call STAX, a shelving system made from stacked, wooden X’s. The students’ plan is not just to build an extensive shelving system out of these X’s — which are crafted from 13-ply finished plywood using CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) technology, which was borrowed from Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, whose factory is nearby — but to use these same materials for tables, benches and stools, as well. The students estimate that they’ll need about 250 to 275 STAX for their design, and are raising money to help fund the project. They’re even offering STAX as rewards. For these students, X can be anything. “We designed this thing that not only solves something for us, but can be good for other people, too,” Valeria, a Studio H student, said.
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Studio H was first launched in rural Bertie County, NC. In this class, students apply what they’ve learned in their core subjects to design and build “socially transformative” projects. Previously, Studio H students have built a farmers market pavilion, a pop-up park, laser-etched skateboards and more. In the program, the students learn how to shape their environment. They see their ideas come to fruition. And most importantly, they can design and build something special for other kids to enjoy. “The first semester was just skill building,” Emily Pilloton, who founded Studio H, told Fast Co.Exist about Realm Charter School’s project. “Then we asked them, OK, now let’s look around us at our school community and let’s ask what do we need, but also what do we want? What are the things that we feel passionate about and we can physically build?” They wanted a place to explore. “I thought that was really a poignant way to put it,” Pilloton said. “A library is not just a room filled with books.”
 MORE: This Teacher Is Helping Young Girls Literally Build Their Way to a Better Future

Meet the Professors Who Want to Hack Your Radiator

Posted on by robbie

The radiator isn’t exactly a paragon of energy efficiency. It’s been around for more than two centuries, and for nearly all of that time, people have been opening their windows in the middle of winter to combat overheating and avoid swimming in sweaty sheets. So to solve the problem, a technology company is hooking up a radiator cover to wifi to control temperature shifts more efficiently and make sure those windows stay firmly closed.
The Cozy, as the device is called, fits over the radiator and uses fans to regulate the temperature inside a room, blowing hot air when it’s needed and shutting off when it’s not. People can even use a smartphone to set their preferred temperature.
Radiator Labs, the company behind the Cozy, has installed the devices on 250 radiators at Columbia and NYU for whole-building beta testing. They estimate that each steam radiator wastes an average of 20 gallons of oil a year, with 30 percent of its heat wasted. In cities like New York with thousands of buildings that use old-school radiators to heat buildings, 20 gallons per radiator really adds up.
The company is currently raising money to start production on the Cozy. You can support their Kickstarter project by clicking here (and be sure to check out their video, too!)