OC STEM Maker Space

What it is: 3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive process. In an additive process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. 3D printing enables you to produce complex shapes using less material than traditional manufacturing methods. 

How to use it: Download Cura for LulzBot on your personal computer or use one of the STEM Google Chromebooks (with Curar for Lulzobt already downloaded) to design a 3D print. You can also search for ready-made designs to download and print. Create a free TinkerCAD account to learn how to make your own designs. We have 13 LulzBot 3D printers available (LulzBot TAZ Workhorse, LulzBot TAZ Pro, and LulzBot Mini 2). 

Career connection: Learn how to design and engineer. Learn how to use CAD software. Knowing your way around a 3D printer will help you find a job in technology,  

Examples OC students have made: Pi Day bookmarks, EMP keychains, small apple bookmarks, medals, trophies, and candlestick holders. 

What it is: Airzooka is a unique hand-held device that blows a harmless "ball of air" towards any object up to 50 feet away. Elements like oxygen and nitrogen take up space in air so when an empty cannon does not have an object, it is occupied by air that is around us. When that air is pushed out of the vessel, the volume decreases and pressure increases. This increase in pressure forces the air out of the hole in the front of the gun. The force that the air exhausts is proportional to the diameter of the hole and how far back the plastic film is pulled.  

How to use it: Airzooka operates simply by pulling and releasing a built-in elastic air launcher. Look into the pop-up site to aim at your target for improved accuracy.  

Examples OC students have made: OC Students used AirZookas during OC’s Inaugural Family Festival to blast air into a pyramid of stacked disposable cups for “Air Ball Bowling”. This activity demonstrated that air takes up space when the plastic membrane of the AirZooka is released. 

What it is: Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message - and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online. OC STEM has SunFounder Uno kits, Elegoo Uno R3 Super Starter Kits, and Arduino Engineering Kits available. 

How to use it: The Arduino Software (IDE) allows you to write programs and upload them to your board. You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. To do so you use the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring), and the Arduino Software (IDE), based on Processing. Source: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction. OC’s Sunfounder Starter Kits offer 42 projects in their online tutorials. OC’s Elegoo Uno R3 Super Starter Kits offer a 24-lesson tutorial, introducing the basic setting of the software IDE, the working principles of the sensors and the simple program to enable the UNO board to control the sensors. OC’s Arduino Engineering Kit  

Career connection: coding, software development, electronics, software/hardware engineers, programming 

What it is: Bring virtual reality to life with Google cardboard. Using your smartphone and a variety of apps, step into stunning environments that stretch all around you. Works with most Android or iOS phones with screen sizes from 4”-6”.  

How to use it: Use your phone to download a 3D Cardboard Goggles app or search YouTube for VR 360 videos. Insert your phone into the Google Cardboard, put up to your eyes, and enjoy! Experiences include, but are not limited to, riding in a roller coaster, touring the solar system, edge of space, F-18 fighter combat, F1 formula racing, and ocean world underwater. 

Career connection: Virtual reality (VR), Augmented reality (AR), and Mixed reality (MR) are transforming the world across all industries. They get to do fulfilling work in some of the best companies in the world and earn quite a lot of money. With the ever-growing hardware adoption – VR headsets like Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, and HTC are having record sales in 2020, the real world needs virtual reality developers. Source: “10 In-Demand AR and VR Jobs: Skills Requirement, Pay Scale, and Demand Trends”. October 28 2020. Circuit Stream. https://circuitstream.com/blog/xr-jobs-in-demand/.  

 What it is: Legos are construction toys consisting of interlocking plastic building blocks. Lego created a way for novices to learn the basics of structural engineering: bracing, tension and compression, loading constraints, building to scale. 

How to use it: Lego provides a way to master problem-solving, spatial reasoning, structural integrity, design, and a practical sense of geometry. Lego lets people exercise creativity and learn some fundamentals of engineering. By combining Lego bricks to sensors, servo motors and microprocessors, you can explore everything from basic pulleys and belts to computer programming. 

Career connection: Engineering, computer programming, robotics  

What it is:  LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 Core Set is a hands-on, cross-curricular STEM solution that engages students by providing the resources to design, build and program their creations while helping them develop essential skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. The system includes the EV3 Intelligent Brick, a compact and powerful programmable computer that makes it possible to control motors and collect sensor feedback using the intuitive icon-based programming and data logging software that is delivered with the set. 

How to use it: Building instructions and other resources can be downloaded from the EV3 Resources & Support page 

Career connection: robotics, programming, engineering  

What it is: The Merge Cube works with Merge EDU, a hands-on digital learning platform that helps students learn science and STEM effectively with 3D objects and simulations they can touch, hold and interact with (holograms). Explore a galaxy, hold fossils and ancient artifacts, explore a DNA molecule, investigate the Earth’s core, dissect a virtual frog, or hold and share your own 3D creation. 

How to use it: Get a STEM iPad and open Object Viewer, Merge Explorer, or Merge Dashboard. Pick what you want to explore. Grab a Merge 3D Cube and put it in the camera view of the iPad. Explore. 

What it is: Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized minicomputer that turns a monitor, TV, mouse, or keyboard into a full-fledged PC. Raspberry Pi is your tiny, powerful computer. If you need a smart home hub or a home computer, if you want to watch a movie or chart the stars, you can do it all with Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi has all the features you expect from a computer: wireless internet connectivity, HDMI ports for your monitors, and USB ports for your accessories, along with ample processing power and RAM for all your day-to-day use. Want a desktop computer? You’ve got it. Need to build yourself a smart speaker? You can do that. Raspberry Pi offers computers to fit a huge range of needs and applications of all shapes and sizes. 

How to use it: You can build a super-slim smart mirror, your own flight tracker, add ambient lighting to your TV, or block ads on every device in your house with a Raspberry Pi. The possibilities are endless! 

What it is:  Upcycling is the process of transforming by-products, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value. STEM has several bags of upcycled material that can be used to play, create, and design a number of projects. Feel free to use the materials to create something that you’ve already designed or grab a Heuristic Card to help you get into the creative process.  

How to use it: Pick a heuristic card, get a bag of upcycled material, and see where it takes you! 

Career connection: Architecture, design, engineering 

What it is:  Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment with scenes and objects that appear to be real, making the user feel they are immersed in their surroundings. This environment is perceived through a device known as a Virtual Reality headset or helmet. 

How to use it: OC STEM has several Meta Quest 2 headsets that you can use and play a variety of immersive STEM games. Don’t see a game you want to play? Create it yourself!