KidsLab - a podcast for parents and educators passionate about STEAM education

I am talking to Rafael Hostettler, he’s the guardian and project lead of Roboy - a very exciting robotics project of Devanthro GmbH. Late last year, they’ve also kickstarted and released a children’s book called Roboy & Lucy.Rafael is Roboy’s legal guardian and project lead. He has an Master in Computational Science and Engineering from ETH Zurich, Switzerland and works towards his PhD at the robotics and embedded systems lab at the Technical University of Munich. He’s a true robotics ent...

Today on the show, I am talking to Camilo Parra Palacio, the founder of Otto DIY - it’s all about 3D printable robot components and project kids to take your STEAM learning to new levels.Camilo is a Product Design Engineer and the Founder of Otto DIY. He’s a Designer by profession, roboticist and 3D printing enthusiast by passion. Born in Colombia a drive for adventure and pursuing his dreams took him to China in 2014, while working in Shanghai for a multinational inflatable toy manufact...

I am talking to Bambi Brewer about the new Finch Robot 2.0. Bambi is the director of Engineering at Birdbrain Technologies, the creators of the Finch Robot. Bambi works from the beginning to the end of the development process to design new products, ensure software is reliable and easy to use, and create curriculum pathways to help take robotics projects to the next level. She has a bachelor in math and physics from Rhodes College, and a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University....

In this episode, I am talking to Joern Alraun, managing partner at Calliope, about the next version of the Calliope Mini Single Board Computer - Calliope Mini v2.That’s the second time that I interview Joern and the third time we discuss the Calliope Mini - it’s simply a very cool board I guess. Jørn is an interaction designer, co-founder of several companies with a focus on developing digital learning toys and he is a member of the Interaction Design Association. As you might recall, Jo...

In this episode, I am talking to Birgit Schlotter about KryptoKids - KryptoKids is German online project and game about online privacy. Birgit is an information technologist and educational expert, focusing on media pedagogy. Since 2018, she is working at the office of youth media culture in North-Rhine Westfalia, which is a part of Germany. There, her main occupation is around data privacy and security. KryptoKids is a adventure game for kids from 8 years on about privacy. That’s a...

In this episode, I am talking to Dave Hrynkiw, the president of Solarbotics. Solarbotics is selling educational robotic kits for any skill level. My interviewee, Dave, is the President of Solarbotics Ltd., a hobby robotics company based in Calgary, Canada. He started out with a Mechanical Engineering background in typical Alberta format - designing down-hole oil tools. As he has always had a fondness for clever mechanics, he educated himself in analog and digital electronics. ...

In this episode, I am talking to Natasha Dzurny from TechnoChic. TechnoChic Tech-Craft Kits provide resources, inspiration and supplies for crafters to explore technology and techies to explore craft.Natasha is the founder of TechnoChic and she is using her passion for arts and crafts and DIY tech to transform the way the world understands and creates with technology. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design and a Masters Degree ...

I am talking to Debra Ansell - she’s the creator of the blog Geek Mom Projects and the founder of Bright Wearables - they sell hackable and customizable accessories for kids.Debra is a technophile mom of three boys and always looking for new projects to tackle. I love what she wrote in the about me section of her blog: \“I decided to start blogging because, as Adam Savage of Mythbusters says: “…the only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down.” \“So her blog, g...

I am talking to Bridget Hegarty about the SpinWheel. The SpinWheel is a small, colorful, programmable, wearable kit to facilitate student exploration of physics, engineering, and computer science.Bridget is part of the SpinWheel Team, a group of volunteers with a passion for teaching science and building beautiful things. She is a postdoc researcher in Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan. As a kid, Bridget was always asking “why?” Luckily, her parents put up with her ...

In this episode, I am talking to Nicholas Tollervey about CodeGrades but we’re also touching on some of his other projects like PyperCard and the Mu Editor.I took the following from an O’Reilly book author page, but I think it’s a great description for Nicholas: Nicholas is a classically trained musician, philosophy graduate, teacher, writer and software developer. He's just like this biography: concise, honest and full of useful information.Nicholas develops software that helps folks learn t...