Education

The kalimba is the commercial version of a traditional Zimbabwean instrument known as the mbira, which dates back thousands of years. That said, a brand-new high-tech tool has been designed to teach people how to play the thing.

A new study suggests handwriting on paper leads to greater brain activity and memory retention than using a stylus on a tablet. The researchers hypothesize the spatial details of writing on paper may explain why it enhances the encoding of information.

An extremely odd project is planning to hold a remote-controlled car race next October ... On the surface of the Moon. What's more, the two racecars will be partially designed by high school kids, and McLaren P1 designer Frank Stephenson is involved.

BIG has been commissioned to design a new student center for Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland. Named The Village, it's conceived as an oversized living room and will feature a timber structure and a roof covered in solar panels.

Mere days after launching a 100-year anniversary tribute to the almost magical hands-off wonder created by Leon Theremin, Moog Music is back with a limited re-issue of an all-analog synthesizer you put together yourself.

Back in 2016, the BBC gave a million tiny computers to UK school kids for free. The micro:bit boards were designed as learning tools to help get youngsters into coding, and now the tiny computer for tiny hands has been updated.

Research analyzing brainwave patterns in both children and young adults while they wrote by hand and typed on a keyboard reveals distinct brain activity between the activities, suggesting learning may be more effective when accompanied by handwriting.

Based on a Ford F-53 EPIC chassis from Motiv Power Systems, the Magic Bus is a project of Winnebago and YouthPower365. The electric bus has been outfitted as a traveling learning center for pre-kindergarten children.

DJI is probably best known for its drones, but last year it launched an educational robot platform named after its annual RomoMaster Robotics Competition. Now the S1 has been joined by the EP Core, the first product in DJI's new Education branch.

Hassell has designed UWA's new Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences building. The project is defined by a shading screen of metal "petals." It also boasts sustainable technology, such as solar power and an advanced monitoring system.

UNStudio has announced that construction is underway on a new college campus building in the Netherlands. Once work is completed, students will be hitting the books in a flexible and energy-efficient space that integrates greenery on its facade.

Developer of open source hardware and education products Elecrow has launched a Kickstarter to fund production of a chunky Raspberry Pi-based laptop with a STEAM learning lab hidden underneath the removable keyboard.