Whee!

The future is awesome. I'm a scientist who likes making stuff with artists. I enjoy books, nanotech, nature, and people in approximately equal measure. I have some interest in outreach and non-traditional and lifelong learning/education and how we might bring both to everyone who's interested.

Here's some pictures I took of atoms trying to get around each other.

Also, check out the story of creating a final project in a blow-by-blow format in the project update notes and tutorial.

My project, likely to go through serious revision over time, will surely use the tools I'm less familiar with: sewing! I'm actually not that bad, and I learned them when I was pretty tiny. But as I grew up I learned a lot more about other tools and sewing went by the wayside. I'd like to create soft, friendly, inviting toys that double as controllers and communication devices. I'd like to make it so that your NFC on your phone turns on coffee when you tap it on the soft mushroom by your door. Or that depending on how you group different soft robots together the music and lighting in the room will change mood. I'm very interested in re-embedding digital controls in a tactile environment. My project proposition is to embed controls into adorable objects. I want to play more with wireless control than I have so far. So my first thought is two state interfaces that control distant relays, perhaps by standing up or lying down a soft robot. Or lights that respond to "petting" of soft monsters. Anywho, something interesting in that vein! And in the mean time, have a photo of our friend Anthony's wonderful plushie project for his undergrad maker class!