Between school, homework, practice and spending time with loved ones, it’s easy to miss out on the latest in science, technology, engineering, art and math. But don’t worry, Thinkery’s got you covered. Here are some of our favorite STEAM discoveries from the previous week. It’s fuel for your weekend.
There’s more to artist John V. Muntean’s bulky LEGO sculptures than meets the eye. At first glance, the sculptures might look like large blocks of randomly-stacked bricks. And that’s true, they do. But turn off the lights, shine a light on his stacked creations, and behold—intricate shadow designs emerge as the sculpture is slowly rotated.
In the video above, observe the block become a knight, a pirate ship and a mermaid. As for the video below? A dragon, a butterfly and a jet! It seems impossible, but it isn’t. Check out his masterpieces!
How do animals see in the dark? What does it look like? From tarsiers and cats to toads and hawk moths, this informative, animated TED-Ed lesson by Anna Stöckl highlights the varying biological adaptations that allow nocturnal creatures to observe a nighttime world bursting with color.
Can we talk about the Ozobot? Can we? It’s seriously the cutest robot robot we’ve ever seen. Not only is this tiny, 3D-printed robot totally adorable, it’s also the first-ever autonomous robot made entirely with soft robotics.
Developed by a team of Harvard University researchers, the Octobot is super squishy and contains no rigid components. Its existence is a game-changer, as it paves the way for some potentially groundbreaking work in the medical industry.
The Harvard team aims to improve upon their design by developing an improved, interactive Octobot that can crawl and swim. We guess dreams do come true—we can’t wait to meet Octobot 2.0!