Arts Thread

Line Lab is an augmented reality (AR) application that encourages engineering mindsets in young children through hands-on creative play with just cardboard and ink. It uses machine learning to recognize drawn symbols and AR to overlay interactive visuals. Children can up-cycle components from cardboard, draw symbols on it, and arrange them to design robots that complete tasks and solve challenges in the app. The alarming deficit of STEM skills costs the UK an estimated 1.5 billion pounds annually. Addressing this issue at its root requires a strategic and sustainable method for engineering education from primary school onwards, based on recommendations from expert organizations like the Royal Academy of Engineering, with a primary focus on cultivating 'habits of mind' such as iterative thinking. However, in the UK, Design & Technology (the subject closest to engineering at the primary level) faces challenges due to increasingly limited time, resources and skilled staff. Individual kits for students can be costly, and sustainability is an increasingly important factor to consider. To tackle this problem, we co-designed solutions with Design & Technology teachers and children in our local communities. Our goal was to develop a low-cost, low-stakes learning experience that uses ordinary paper waste and widespread technology to inspire creativity and iterative thinking from a young age. Our vision of Line Lab lets anyone up-cycle scraps to design and iterate their own virtual toy robots to accomplish different tasks, blending the tactile joy of physical creation with the magic of digital interaction in classrooms and homes. Meet Line Lab!: https://vimeo.com/848826273 Line Lab Visual Demo: https://vimeo.com/848829368