2

SPARK

3D printing has become the go-to technology for fabrication in the maker community, but Glowforge wants to bring laser cutting up to

that level. The company describes its first device as a ‘3D laser printer’, but really it’s just a consumer-friendly laser cutter/engraver. It’s

fairly low-power compared to similarly-priced competitors, but the main selling point here is ease of use and software integration

Glowforge

Aimed at children aged 3–7,

Robotix’s Taco Robobricks

are designed to teach the

basics of robotics with

‘tangible coding’. Young

makers can put together

the Lego/Duplo-compatible

blocks to form interactive

creations, and then program

them with computer-free

coding chips. There are a

variety of Taco Robobricks

available, for light, sound,

movement, and even

touch-sensing

e believe one of the key W

features of the hacker/maker

movement is inclusivity,

and that has to include

the visually impaired.

Unfortunately, consumer

products have become less

friendly to people with less

than perfect vision as they

have become less tactile.

Project-RAY has a new

product which could help:

Click stickers. These are

simple NFC-connected tactile

buttons that are designed

to stick onto the back of

your smartphone in order to

provide an input method that

can actually be felt

Robotix

Taco

Ray

Click

Robot-based learning toys are a growing trend, and Makeblock’s

Codey Rocky appears to be the next big thing in that arena.

It’s a stand-alone rover-type robot that is intended to teach

programming to kids aged six and up. Users start with

programming in Scratch, and then move up to Python. The

standout feature here is that it can separate into two units: a

controller (Codey) and the rover itself (Rocky), which introduces a

number of unique ways for children to play

Plott Cubit Codey Rocky

When you’re measuring small objects, the most useful tools

are calipers, micrometers, or even just a simple ruler. Taking

measurements of entire rooms — for instance when building

large installations — can be difficult. Enter the Plott Cubit,

which is a sort of bi-directional digital multi-tool. With the

augmented reality app, users can use the Cubit to plot detailed

measurements of a room, and then create digital layouts for your

project. Once the virtual design is completed, the Cubit can then

be used to physically locate designated points in order to help

bring your creation into reality