Overview
The Girls Who Build: Wearable Tech workshop for high school girls is a one-day, hands-on introduction to mechanical and electrical engineering through wearable tech at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The workshop consists of two major hands-on projects: building and programming light-up shoes, and designing and 3-d printing a bracelet. Participants also attended a machine shop tour and listened to two keynote speakers from the wearable tech industry: Mike Gibson from Embr Labs and Katy Olesnavage from MIT in prosthetics engineering. The curriculum is available on MIT Open Courseware, an online education platform.
Click here for the official MIT Lincoln Laboratory page
"I learned a lot about different areas of engineering I didn’t know even existed."
"I loved it! It was satisfying when the shoe lit up. I now want to get into more programming"
What new skills do you see yourself using again? "Programing definitely"
"I have a new idea of being a prosthetics engineer"
"I would definitely come back next year"
"I really liked Solidworks. We had fun designing bracelets and changing the design"
What is wearable technology?
Wearable technology ("wearable tech" or "wearables") is an electronic device that is incorporated into clothing and accessories. Wearable technology seamlessly integrates technology into your life-- such as a fitness tracker or google glass (augmented reality). Read more about wearables here and check out examples from the Consumer Electronics Showcase.
Thank you to MIT Lincoln Laboratory, MIT Open Courseware, and Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS Corp. for making this event possible.