Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak

By Dot Cannon: Public Speaker & New-Media ReporterSociety & CultureEducationArts
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Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Mak episodes

  • Power On the Move


    At CES® 2016, in Las Vegas, was an innovation we've wished, many times, to have had with us on the road.



    Meet the "M-Edge": power bags and backpacks.

    These are bags designed to charge your technlogy while you're on the go.  The M-Edge website promotes them as being powered for "gym to office" or for the playing field.  However, we can't help but think this is a great idea for conferences, as well.   (After all, at the conferences we attend, everyone seems to have the same idea--and the same dying smartphone or tablet--at about the same time!)



    The M-Edge comes in models that will power devices including laptops and e-readers, according to their website.



    During his second day exhibiting at CES®, product developer Jonathan McCune talked about M-Edge's patented technology and how the bags enable their owners to stay "connected".

     

     
    5 min
  • Robots At Your Fingertips


    These robots are made of cardboard, wood and plastic.



    And they're controlled by hand gestures.



    You're looking at the world's first hand-gesture-controlled robotics kit--the Ziro.

    Professor Karthik Ramani is chief scientist and co-founder of San Jose's Zero UI.  At CES® 2016, in Las Vegas, he explained Ziro, which is Zero UI's first product.

    The kit enables a maker to create a robot out of virtually any material.  Then, you control the robot by using a smart glove.

    Professor Ramani, who is a longtime Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, talked about creating Ziro, some of the ways the robotics kit can be used, and his vision for Zero Ui's future.
    On this edition of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    How Zero UI's user interface works;

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    The robots makers can create with the Ziro kit;

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    The materials used to create some of the robots on display;

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    How Professor Ramani decided to create the robotics kit;

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    Some of the ways the robots can be used, both for fun and practical purposes;

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    Some of Professor Ramani's favorite experiences, as a maker, while creating the Ziro robotics kit;

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    Why the robotics kit may be especially fun at Halloween!

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    What's included in the robotics kit;

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    How Professor Ramani wants to use Ziro to change the educational system;

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    Why future engineers of both genders may enjoy creating with the kit;

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    Why Professor Ramani sees a "play first" approach as essential to real-world education.


     
    14 min
  • Where Workouts Become (VR) Play


    Gaming and working out never used to have anything in common.

    Eric Janszen and Eric Malafeew are changing all that.

    They're the co-founders of Cambridge-based virtual reality game startup VirZOOM, Inc.  And their new virtual-reality stationary bike, the "VirZOOM", has formerly sedentary gamers lining up to try it.  (Then, those gamers get back in line,  to ride again!)



    Eric and Eric developed the VirZOOM with thirty different virtual-reality games.  Pedaling the bike, riders can be on a car racetrack, in the Old West on horseback--or even riding Pegasus above the trees. Riders also compete against other racers, gather gems, earn faster horses and so forth.  (So much for workouts being "boring"!)



    At CES® 2016 in Las Vegas, the two Erics talked about the experience of creating the VirZOOM, and how their different backgrounds (Eric Janszen has a background in finance, while Eric Malafeew is a game designer) contributed to the success of their innovation.
    On this edition of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    What first inspired Eric and Eric to create their new virtual-reality bike;

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    Some of what riders experience as they're pedaling;

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    How Eric and Eric have seen the virtual-reality field evolve;

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    The virtual-reality problem tbey had to solve to make the VirZOOM a workable product;

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    How Eric Janszen's business expertise enabled them to create a viable business model with a completely new product;

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    The research that went into making the VirZOOM successful;

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    When and where the new virtual-reality bike is available;

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    Each creator's biggest creative challenges in this particular venture;

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    Their vision for the future with their VR bike;

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    Resources and advice for fellow makers from their experiences on this particular venture.

    19 min
  • Real-World Robotics


    What if any small toy could become a robot?

    Mu has now made that a reality--for around twenty dollars.

    Mu, the world's first artificial intelligence for toys, launched at CES® 2016 in Las Vegas in January.    This functions as both an "eye" and a "brain" for a favorite toy.   Among the things it enables a toy to do: tracking, face recognition and detecting color and shapes.



    Yang Ran (far left) and Tianli Yu (second from right) are the co-founders of technology startup Morpx, Inc., based in Hangzhou, China.  (They also have a U.S. site in Sunnyvale, California.)  Yang and Tianli are co-creators of Mu.  During CES® 2016, they talked about developing their new technology, some of its functions and their vision for the future.
    On this edition of Over Coffee® you'll hear:

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    How Mu works;

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    The concept on which it was created;

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    How Yang and Tianli were first inspired to create Mu;

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    What the technology enables "smart" toys to do;

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    The challenges Yang and Tianli ran into, as makers, in creating the device;

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    The perspectives of their best young "customers", on Mu;

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    How to connect with Tianli and Yang through their Indiegogo campaign.

    12 min
  • Setting Up for Success


    Entrepreneur, author and coach Maxwell Ivey knows how to make a business idea a reality--and a success.

    The way he gained that knowledge, is what makes him unique.

    Max grew up helping to run his father's carnival, in Texas.  Today, he runs an online business, The Midway Marketplace, on which he helps people buy, sell and trade equipment for the amusement industry.



    In his new e-book, Leading You Out of the Darkness Into the Light, Max applies his own entrepreneurial experiences to help readers achieve their goals.   In addition to advice and workable exercises, his book has an unusual interactive element, aimed at getting his audience to put principles into practice.

    Max, who is totally blind, also operates a blog, The Blind Blogger, and offers classes and group coaching.   "Most people who are successful, are that way because they have help...I can be that person for you," he says, on his website.  (And, he recently lost more than 260 pounds--so his next book will be about living a more healthy lifestyle!)

    Max talked about his carnival background, his own journey as an entrepreneur and some of the principles behind his new e-book, Leading You Out of the Darkness Into the Light: A Blind Man's Inspirational Guide to Success.
    On this episode of Over Coffee® you will hear:

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    Max's favorite growing-up memories;

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    The lessons his days in the carnival business taught him, about being an entrepreneur;

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    His own experiences creating his small business;

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    How he first began writing Leading You Out of the Darkness Into the Light;

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    His journey from there, as an author;

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    The mistake most businesspeople make.  (Max says being blind gives him an advantage in this area!)

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    A great tip for new entrepreneurs;

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    Some of the main misconceptions about running an online business;

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    A GREAT tip on staying motivated;

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    An expensive lesson that resulted in a change in the way he works in his business;

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    Why Leading You Out of the Darkness Into the Light goes a step further than most other books on business and motivation;

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    How to contact Max for speaking engagements and where he'll be appearing in the future.

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    His advice to new entrepreneurs on getting publicity.


    Max will be speaking at the Festival of Enlightenment, in Austin, Texas, Saturday and Sunday, March 5th and 6th, 2016.
    40 min
  • Bringing Safety Onto the Field


    What if part of an athlete's gear could warn of a possible head injury?



    That's the idea behind the FitGuard, a new wearable created by Anthony Gonzales and Bob Merriman.  This is a "smart" mouth guard that lights up when a player has taken a head impact.  And the FitGuard could make a huge difference in youth sports.

    Anthony is the CEO, and Bob the COO, of new startup Force Impact Technologies.   The FitGuard is Force Impact Technologies' first product.

    Anthony and Bob have MBAs in business administration and business management, as well as extensive sports careers.  Bob's youth-sports background includes football and golf, and he has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.  Meanwhile, Anthony's background includes wrestling, rugby, and a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.  He is also the president and founder of  Live Jiu-Jitsu, a nonprofit created to help underprivileged athletes reach their potential.

    After completing a four-month mentorship program at new Los Angeles hardware accelerator MakeInLA, Bob and Anthony showcased their innovation at the program's first Hardware Demo Day.  Here, they discuss the origins of the FitGuard, the steps they've taken as entrepreneurs, what worked for them, and the ways they hope to improve the safety of athletics.
    On this episode of Over Coffee® you'll hear:

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    How Anthony and Bob first became involved in sports;

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    Some scary current statistics on the head-injury risks athletes face on the field;

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    How Anthony and Bob founded Force Impact Technologies;

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    Anthony's own playing-field experience that would ultimately lead to the creation of the FitGuard;

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    The steps involved in making the new innovation a practical wearable;

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    How the FitGuard works;

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    The main challenges involved in making their innovation a reality;

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    How investors can get involved;

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    Their goals in partnering with sports leagues and associations;

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    Their next steps in developing the FitGuard;

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    The difference in the way male and female athletes react to a head impact;

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    What resources served both Bob and Anthony best, in their journey as makers;

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    Their future vision for Force Impact Technologies;

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    Their favorite experiences since creating the FitGuard.

    29 min
  • “Smart” As a…Duck


    Edwin the Duck has taken on his own personality.

    That's according to Brand Manager and Creative Director Garrett Curry, who introduced us to Edwin at CES® 2016.

    Indiana-based pi lab created Edwin as their first product.  He's a "smart" interpretation of the classic bathtub toy.  While Edwin does what you'd expect a standard rubber duck to do, he can also: play music, act as a nightlight and take a child's temperature!



    Pi lab have also developed Edwin in another way.  They've decided who he is--and how he addresses some of the issues kids are facing.

    (While a relatively new technology company, pi lab have already racked up some impressive honors. At CES® 2016, they won the Kids At Play Interactive Innovation Award.  They also won a Techpoint MIRA Award in February of 2015, as well as winning the Grand Prize at Indiana's Innovation Showcase in July, according to their website.)

    From the show floor at Sands Expo, in January 2016, Garrett talked about the creation of Edwin the Duck, some of the ways this "smart duck" is making parenting easier for parents, and his own background as a creative professional.
    In this edition of Over Coffee® you'll hear:

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    How Edwin the Duck helps improve the quality of life for parents;

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    The story behind the creation of Edwin;

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    What's involved in Edwin's "personality" and how it encourages children;

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    How "Edwin" got his name;

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    The roots of Garrett's creativity, in his own childhood;

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    What's next for Edwin.

    8 min
  • Where Inspiration Meets “How-To”

    Noramay Cadena is uniquely qualified for empowering independent entrepreneurs.
    Noramay co-founded Make In LA, Los Angeles' first hardware accelerator, in Spring, 2015.  One of her two co-founders is entrepreneur and electronics manufacturing expert Shaun Arora.  She has three degrees (including Systems Engineering and Business) from MIT.  Her professional background also includes work as an aerospace engineer for Boeing.
    But, perhaps her best qualification is the reason her Make In LA students might hesitate to say, "That's impossible".
    Noramay went through MIT's engineering program as a single mother, while she and her daughter lived on-campus.  When she attended her first engineering classes at MIT, her daughter was one year old.
    Fast-forward to January, 2016.  Make In LA had just concluded its first four-month training program of four selected independent entrepreneur teams.  The culmination was "Hardware Demo Day", where program graduates previewed their inventions to potential investors and the media.
    Noramay talked about her background, her experiences creating Make In LA, and what independent entrepreneurs can expect, if selected for the free program.  She also gave some exciting resources for any independent entrepreneur!

    On this episode of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    What first inspired Noramay to become a mechanical engineer;

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    How Noramay's experience, raising her daughter at MIT, helps her coach entrepreneurs;

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    How she and Shaun first came to create Make in LA;

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    The experiences of one of their entrepreneurship teams, and what they learned;

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    What's been happening for the first class of entrepreneurs who went through the mentorship program;

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    What entrepreneurs accepted into the program can expect;

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    A preview of the companies accepted into the next mentorship sessions, which begin in March 2015;

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    The resources Make In LA offers (including some free ones available to any entrepreneur!);

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    The advice Noramay would give her now-seventeen-year-old daughter on building her career;

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    Her goals for Make In LA and the communities it creates,  in the future.


    24 min
  • The “Epicenter” of Leadership


    Shaun Arora has always been an entrepreneur.

    Today, he's teaching makers how to be entrepreneurs, as they ground their dreams in reality.

    Shaun is one of the co-founders of Make In LA, which is L.A.'s new (and first!) hardware accelerator.   With co-founders Noramay Cadena and Carmen Palafox, he selects independent entrepreneurs with promising ideas.  Then, the selected inventors enroll in a free four-month class, which involves mentorship, prototyping, legal aspects of running a business, and the other areas they'll need to know to create a marketable product.   So Shaun, Noramay and Carmen are, as their slogan goes, "making hardware less hard" for innovators.

    At Make In LA's first "Hardware Demo Day", in which their first graduating class presented their inventions, Shaun talked about his background, how he and Noramay created "Make In LA" and what happens for entrepreneurs as they get involved in this new Southern California resource.
    On this episode of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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     How Shaun's early entrepreneurial experiences paved the way for what he currently does with Make In LA;

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    Some of the mistakes Shaun wants to help entrepreneurs avoid;

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    The philosophy behind Make In LA;

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    What the early days of Make In LA were like;

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    The advice Shaun would give a prospective entrepreneur who has an idea (but isn't sure where to go from there!)

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    The best challenge, and the best triumph, Shaun has encountered in his work with Make in LA.

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    Some of the experiences of the entrepreneurial teams he saw in during Make In LA's first four-month class session.


     
    8 min
  • The Future in 3D–and Beyond


    3D printing is expanding in some very exciting ways.

    The fun part, is seeing the areas in which it continues to become a part of everyday life.


    At CES® 2016, in Las Vegas, we caught up with 3D printing specialist Maynard Siev.  Maynard, who is studying civil engineering at Washington State University, was operating the "Einstart S".




    Made by Huangzhou Shining 3D® Tech Company, Ltd., this is a more compact and user-friendly 3D printer than any we'd previously seen.



    Maynard talked about the ways the "Einstart" is making 3D printing more accessible to students and the general public, his own experiences using it (he's the president of Washington State University's first 3D Printing Club!) and the ways the field continues to evolve.
    On this edition of Over Coffee®, you'll hear:

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    How the "Einstart" has simplified the printing process for WSU students;

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    Some of the ways WSU students are learning and innovating with the new, smaller printer;

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    What Maynard is currently creating on a day-to-day basis with his 3D printers;

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    The ways the "Einstart" continues to evolve;

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    Some of the new materials 3D printers are beginning to use;

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    How printing methods differ;

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    How Maynard first became interested in printing;

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    Some of the worldwide innovations Maynard has seen;

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    Maynard's recommendations for resources for anyone who wants to get started in 3D printing;

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    Some of the future advancements you may see, in the field.

    11 min

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Would you like to know more about the art of twenty-first century "cool stuff" that's changing our world? Such as: robots, space exploration, new media, wearable technology and other innovations that…