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Little Inventors

Making blog

All the latest news and updates from our incredible inventors and magnificent makers
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5. Color
Posted by Ronald Yiu about Lidia's The Sticky Grabber

Now we would explore different color ideas, the one request from Lidia from our meeting was she want something more pastel and colorful. so we had chosen two color waves to match her idea.

4. Assemble the hand and the handle
Posted by Ronald Yiu about Lidia's The Sticky Grabber

After finished modeling those hands and handle and now it is time to assemble them together as a piece.

3. Start making it real
Posted by Ronald Yiu about Lidia's The Sticky Grabber

I start sculpting a gecko hand in zbrush software based on Lidia sketch, and add layers of texture on the hand to imitate a gecko hand. And start finalizing the handle of the grabber. Imagine it like working with Play-Doh, and shaping the little clay into the shape of the hand and add bumps and texture to look like a Gecko hand.

2. Exploration
Posted by Ronald Yiu about Lidia's The Sticky Grabber

After gathering ideas, start exploring what kind of shape could the grabber look like whether it's through sketch, or simply shape to visually see it. With the power of AI you can also communicate briefly to help visualize your idea quicker.

1st step inspirations
Posted by Ronald Yiu about Lidia's The Sticky Grabber

Based on her sketch, looking into sites like Pinterest to gather ideas and thoughts of how this grabber could look like

Suction Saver Suction Cup construction
Posted by PTI Engineered Plastics Inc. about Jaxon's Suction Saver

Designer Steve worked through several design concepts to come up with a pattern and process for creating the suction saver's critical feature, the suction cups!

First impressions
Posted by Anton Steenken about Harper's The Turtle-Tastic Bag

I will bring Harper's incredible Turtle-Tastic Bag to life through a blend of 2D and 3D animation. By visualizing how this invention provides a literal "shell" of comfort, I aim to showcase the profound impact it can have on those navigating anxiety through a story. This project isn't just about a backpack, it’s about inspiring a new generation of empathetic inventors to design a world where everyone feels safe. Talking to Harper was inspiring and I am so stoked to be able to make her wonderful idea become reality!

The images show a first look into the storyboard and a first version of a possible backpack.

Making Progress!
Posted by STARBASE One about Eliana's The Squeeze Bump

After meeting with the inventor, we are well on our way to bringing it to life! We began by modeling it in CAD software. After a few prototypes, we are now in production, with our 3D printers running at full capacity.

Design 3
Posted by Ascent Aerospace about Milena's The Giraffe Neck

Hi Milena! 

We are almost ready to manufacture the Giraffe Neck! Zach has been working diligently, making your design come to life. These pictures are some of his final designs. Once we start manufacturing, I will update you :) 

Thank you, 

Ivy Marion
Human Resources Coordinator

Suit sewing has begun!
Posted by PTI Engineered Plastics Inc. about Jaxon's Suction Saver

Steve has laid out all the patterns for the Suction Saver suit and is beginning to sew component pieces together, the suit is coming to life!

3D Scanning
Posted by Tom Gavrilos about Kinsley's The Giraffe Hat

Every maker knows the struggle of trying to digitally model an awkward, organic shape from scratch, which was exactly my roadblock for the Giraffe Hat project. Instead of fighting with calipers, I 3D scanned the physical hat to capture an exact, high-resolution digital replica of its quirky geometry. Now that I have successfully imported this precise mesh into my CAD software, I finally have the perfect foundation to start designing my custom modifications!

Measure Twice, Cut Once!
Posted by PTI Engineered Plastics Inc. about Jaxon's Suction Saver

Our team members Steve and Brian visited our inventor Jaxon at his school to take measurements for the suction suit and talked to Jaxon and his class about the design process!

First Meeting
Posted by Kolin Baker about Mackenzie's Angler Light Headband

On April 22nd, I met Mackenzie! MacKenzie told me she was inspired to design this product because she has to time how long she reads for her class' reading log and thought it would be helpful to have both a light and a timer on hand! I think this a great idea, I had the same problems when I had to time myself for reading logs and I love to read when it's dark out. We discussed some different color ideas, and we decided to go with a color palette of purple, orange, and yellow.

Testing Components
Posted by Tom Gavrilos about Kinsley's The Giraffe Hat

This is a first step into my design process to make sure all the components will work as intended. Having these components in hand will also give me the ability to get physical dimensions off the real hardware so i can accurately create a CAD model of the final design.

Suction Saver Design Phase
Posted by PTI Engineered Plastics Inc. about Jaxon's Suction Saver

Steve is working on the initial designs for the Suction Saver Suit, gathering  supplies for construction and working out a pattern and measurement plan, stay tuned!

Let's get started!
Posted by HTI Cybernetics about Yana's Bendy Handies

Last week we had our introduction meeting with Yana! It was so great to meet her and learn more about her invention of "Bendy Handies". She explained how her favorite animal, the octopus, was her true inspiration for this invention, created to help humans lift and carry heavy items outside of their capability. She talked about her vision for how it should work, what it could do and the color it should be. It was a very insightful and informative meeting, and our team can't wait to get to work!

First Meeting with Emma
Posted by Abigail Carballo about Emma's Flower Outfit

It was great to meet Emma today in our meeting! We talked about a lot of things since we both love flowers, butterflies and nature. She is such a brave girl who isn't afraid of bugs or small animals. Through her flower outfit she wants to encourage people to appreciate them more, and that is very inspiring! Her favorite colors are pink and purple, and she likes a lot of different types of flowers!

Ready to get started!
Posted by STARBASE One about Eliana's The Squeeze Bump

We are so excited to start building the Squeeze Bump! This special speed bump doesn’t just slow cars down. It also helps animals! Inside the bump is a small tunnel where squirrels and other little animals can safely cross the road without getting hurt. We think this is a fun and creative way to help people and animals share the world more safely. We can’t wait to start working on it!

Catia Drafts
Posted by Ascent Aerospace about Milena's The Giraffe Neck

Hi Milena! Here are pictures of the drafts we had shown you  on our call. Zach, the engineer working on the Design, used CATIA, a CAD (computer aided design) tool to create the 3-D model for your invention. We are amazed by your ingenuity and imagination and can't wait to finish your invention! More to come :)

Meeting our Inventor!
Posted by Andrea Smith about Adelina's Giraffe Feeder

A brilliant 4th grader, Adelina, has created a safe and useful way to make feeding giraffes more comfortable for them. Adelina was inspired by the giraffes at the zoo on a recent field trip and thought that feeding them could be easier if someone invented a way for the food to come up to their mouths, rather than them bending down.  

Our team at L&L Products had the first discovery meeting with Adelina, where we discussed exactly how she envisions this invention coming to life. 

We look forward to surprising Adelina in May with her idea brought to life!

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