Before software like Fusion 360, modeling a tool like this in the classroom would have been done by hand. The technology has allowed the students to participate in the design process from start to finish in a much shorter timeframe. Martini: For this project, we used Autodesk Fusion 360 and MakerBot 3D printers. In addition, the students learned how to use the latest design software and 3D printers to make a model of their device, test it and redesign, if needed.Īutodesk: How has adopting technology helped your project evolve? The benefit of this project for the students was to see firsthand how design can be used to solve a problem. The students, in teams of two or three, designed a more substantial device that more effectively met the needs of the man. Our Technology Education teacher, Jim DeMarino, used this as a basis for a problem solving activity for his eighth grade engineering class. The man communicates using a device attached to his hand that allows him to interact with a touch screen computer, but it was primitive and came apart easily. Martini: The eighth graders at Swanson Middle School developed an assistive device to help a local man communicate. Here is what Kris Martini, director of Career, Technical and Adult Education at Arlington Public Schools, had to say about the students’ project and their collective experiences leveraging Autodesk software:Īutodesk: What did your school develop, and why is it important to the world? For the innovative work involved in the project, the Swanson class has been recognized as the Autodesk Inventing the Future recipient for July.Īutodesk seeks Inventing the Future candidates each month from its Manufacturing customer base through a brief Q&A interview on a company or individual addressing their business, products and inventive spirit.
The students are part of an engineering class at Swanson Middle School in Arlington, VA, where they learned to use Autodesk Fusion 360, part of Autodesk’s portfolio of Digital Prototyping tools, and 3D printers to develop a more intuitive device that allows the man to communicate with a touch screen computer. When a local man began to experience issues with a handheld device that helps him communicate, Virginia middle school students jumped in to design a better option with the help of Autodesk Fusion 360 software.