Hear the word "Feltronics" and you might imagine Kermit The Frog as The Terminator. Actually, it’s a teaching tool winning worldwide acclaim that was created by a Charlotte tech group.
Feltronics is a kit for teaching electronics. Electronics components such as resistors are mounted on pieces of felt and can be connected with magnets to form circuits. A set costs less than $100, and can be used to form infinite combinations of circuits like FM transmitters.
The kits were pulled together by Hackerspace Charlotte, an open technology lab, to compete in the Great Global Hackerspace Challenge, a competition to develop new teaching tools. Feltronics was picked as one of three semi-finalists in the challenge out of more 30 hackerspace labs around the world. Quincy Acklen of Hackerspace Charlotte will present Feltronics in the next round of the challenge May 22 in San Francisco.
Charlotte educators are impressed. David Taylor, a science and robotics teacher at McClintock Middle School in East Charlotte said of Feltronics, “This is going to have a huge impact on the students and change the way we teach electronics."
For more info, call Raquel Vélez of Hackerspace Charlotte at 704-350-5271 or email raquel@hackerspacecharlotte.
Feltronics from Quincy Acklen on Vimeo.
