Inspire... Create... Invent!

In MediaCorp sitcom "Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd", funny character Gurmit Singh use the famous catchphrase ... " use your 'blain', use your 'blain' "(intentionally mispronouced the word 'brain' to make people laugh).  There's a subtle, meaningful moral to the stories of every episode.  Not just for gags, or just for laughs!

Good for constructive thinking which Singaporean viewers would be able to understand the meaning.

Seriously, the brain is the human organ in the body that keep us alive.  Without it, we'd just be a bunch of random organs laying around.  Our brain retains (does not control) everything about us.

Our interests, personality, skills, thoughts, memories, emotions, breathing, heart beats, and just everything our body does. 

The brain processes everything that we tell it, consciously or subconsciously to process.

An ultimate, unreplicable computer.  Without the influence of a spirit, it can do nothing at all.

My former boss once scolded us straightforwardly whenever we made mistakes ... "Use your brains! Its not made by God for us to keep in the fridge!"

Miss Lew Yun Tong, Industrial Designer

I am pleased to meet Yun Tong at the NUS DID Grad Show 2014 at The Plaza, National Library Building last week.  Her project was presented and showcased here .

As I was curious and attracted to Yun Tong's invention of a "binocular" prototype, I was amazed.

As I wanted to learn more about this educational invention as a virtual-aid device to help children, she sent me the following email:

The Little Adventurer   
Augmented Contextual Learning for Preschool Children

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

I am currently a graduating student of NUS Division of Industrial Design. To me, Industrial Design is not just about solving problems, but also improving the quality of life of people. I think it is important for us to be relevant and get more in touch with the human aspect of designing, understanding users’ needs, wants and experiences. It brings me tremendous joy and satisfaction to see my users enjoy what I’ve designed for them. I love children, which is why I’ve decided to embark my thesis journey for young children.

BACKGROUND

Children today are spending more time in the virtual world than ever before, but most digital learning today is still passive and often self-centric. The advancement in technology has enhanced the way we learn and see the world, where we can now access a vast amount of information very quickly in just a few clicks. Cartoons, video games and tons of mobile applications for children are widely available for downloads. Holistic experiential learning has thus been conveniently substituted with just an iPad. Having spent so much time in the virtual world, are children able to relate what they see on the screens to what it really is in real life?

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN VIRTUAL AND REALITY

We are limited by time and space and can’t possibly be in many places at the same time. Thus, I am interested in bridging the gap between virtual and reality, where the use of contextual learning allows children to relate what they see in the virtual world to that of reality.

Using Augmented Reality technology in the viewing device, children can now go on an adventure and immerse themselves in learning environments that are out of their everyday surroundings, to explore and discover new things. They watch the different subject matter come to life, and experience different scenarios in real-time by interacting with the physical objects. It also encourages parent-child bonding as they engage in fun-filled exploration and learning adventures together. 

Pioneer generation or young generation Singaporeans have every opportunities to inspire, create, invent new thingy which could benefit mankind.

Good luck to Yun Tong and all our creative and innovative Singaporean inventors to showcase in these public exhibitions and the NUS DID Grad Shows annually.

The "Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award" website is linked here  for everyone to learn more.