My Story

1. I'm from Arlington MA
2. My parents both worked in STEM
3. Type one diabetes was always a given in my family
4. Creativity was always a given in my family
5. When I first started building my engineering skills I was lost

Where did I come from?

My Story

1. At first I tried to understand tech by taking tech apart
2. I met roadblocks from tech being designed to prevent disassembly and understanding
3. I discovered Relativity VR and open source while trying to build a VR headset
4. Open source became part of my world view

How Did I Become an Engineer?

My Story

1. After learning about engineering I reflected on insulin pumps
2. Insulin pumps use closed off practices used in closed source consumer tech like Iphones
3. Insulin pumps are someones organ, they have the right to understand it

Reflecting on Insulin pumps

Why I Care

1. Closed source insulin pumps make user pick an choose between features
2. Commercial insulin pumps prevent life changing features from being implemented due to requiring FDA approval
3. Closed source insulin pumps discourage the user from understanding a part of their body
4. The cheapest of used insulin pumps are still $500

Medtronic Reservoir

1. Medtronic discontinued the 1.8 ml reservoir
2. These reservoirs need to be frequently replaced
3. Medtronic now only makes 3.0 ml reservoirs
4. Many people still use pumps that require 1.8 ml reservoirs, especially pump hackers
5. Not manufacturing 1.8 ml reservoirs makes older pumps unusable for many people

Medtronic Reservoir Solution

1. 3.0 ml reservoirs can be cut down to fit 1.8 ml pumps
2. @Telani_132266, a user on a 3d model website made a 3d printed jig to cut down 3.0 ml reservoirs
3. This jig lets people still use their older pumps, despite required tech being discontinued

Preexisting Work

OpenAPS

Design of an open source ultra low cost insulin pump

OpenAPS is a project hacking insulin pumps with a Raspberry Pi to enable fully automated insulin dosing opposed to the hybrid algorithms used by current commercial pumps.

This was a project to create an ultra low cost insulin pump using open source 3d printed parts. While this project succeeded in making a working pump the design is very clunky and unusable for everyday applications.

Contacting Professionals

Mathew Payne

Mathew Payne is the creator of the "Design of an open source ultra low cost insulin pump" article and advised me to research pros and cons of preexisting insulin pumps to assemble a set of required features and things to avoid.

Denise Shanté Brown

Denise Shanté is a holistic design strategist focusing on designing communal spaces. She also lives with T1D, choosing not to use an insulin pump.

Pump Research

Researching Features of Preexisting Pumps

Following the advice of Mathew Payne, I researched the "core features" of preexisting pumps attracting users. I also put together a list of common mistakes made by pump designers to avoid.

Disassembling a Tandem insulin reservoir

After seeing the hidden insulin reservoirs of the Tandem insulin pumps I decided to take apart and document one. From this I learned how the unconventional design of the reservoir allows for a smaller footprint in the pump.

The Future

1. Survey diabetics to confirm feature list
2. Finalize list of features
3. Put together design proposals
4. Get feedback on the design proposals from diabetics
5. Finalize Design
6. Start technical prototyping

My experience

My name is Jasmine, and this project is a response to an ongoing struggle I face today. For a while, I was only eating ~1300 calories per day, which is about 38% of the 3400 calories my body needs to stay alive.

This led me to lose about 5 lbs (2.2kg) per week. This number is insane considering the CDC recommends that you loose 1-2lbs. While I've improved in realizing this issue I'm still only eating ~1700 calories per day, which is a huge jump, but still only 50% of my bodies needs.

My experience

Gym Social Media

Physique inflation

This is Arnold Schwarzenegger on a ton of steroids in the 1970s. He looks huge, but in 2024, his physique is considered mid-tier.

Physique inflation

This is a natural bodybuilder who won the MCR bodybuilding competition. He is the best of the best when it comes to natural bodybuilding. His physique is completely unachievable due to insane genetics. Nobody can recreate this physique through simply hard work.

Consequences

This amount of insane physiques that are simply unachievable but still shown to hundreds of millions of teenagers.

This leads many to go onto fat loss diets and aggressive mass gain diets. Neither of these options is healthy, and neither of them will get you any closer to a roided-out bodybuilder with godlike genetics.

Aggressive fat loss

Agressive fat loss can have have a lot of consequences, including dizziness, fatigue, abnormal heart rhythm, low blood pressure, and feeling cold all the time. Agressive fat loss phases can also lead to an eating disorder.

My Solution

My Macro Coach

Your personal coach

Intreviews

Agressive fat loss can have have a lot of consequences, including dizziness, fatigue, abnormal heart rhythm, low blood pressure, and feeling cold all the time. Agressive fat loss phases can also lead to an eating disorder.

App Goals

• Encourages healthy eating
• Macronutrient tracking
• Micronutrient tracking
• Live updating TDEE that responds to weight gain/loss
• Easy recipe system
• Water tracking
• Sleep tracking
• Customizable
• One time fee as opposed to a monthly subscription.
• Track with your friends

Next steps

• Mock-ups for app and user features
• Creation of a userflow
• Feedback from users
• Setting up a website to gauge interest

What can YOU do

Enjoy a healthy meal with enough calories and macronutrients. If you are worried about eating too little or too much, contact a nutritionist.

Overview

• I dream big but struggle to start
• (but I still build cool stuff!)
• I need a push (Collaboration, Inspiration, Expectation)
• Most people need a push to get started
• I am not alone in this
• There are many cool builders out there
• but no one is pulling us together today!
• We should build a community
• Chat, inspire and collaborate
• We've seen this works for adults
• YC, Thiel fellowship, hampton, producthunt, ... etc
• (This doesn't exist for kids)
• What these companies do
• Expertise and collaboration
• CoLab overview
• Marketing
• Sign up forum
• What others see
• What users see
• Timeline
• End Slide

I dream up many ideas (but never start them)

I come up with grand designs and plan out all the steps. However, I almost never start. There are many reasons that I do this:

• I forget about the ideas

• I have no one to work with them on

• I don't have the needed expertise

Own sketches

I need a push (and so do many others)

From friends

If someone else I know is very interested I will work with them. We will push each other to the finish.

Inspiration to get me jump started

Seeing others create magnificent projects that are similar to mine gets me working.

To increase my portfolio

I need to make my portfolio look bigger and better to other people and schools.

Inspiration

Seeing beautiful or well built projects that are similar to my ideas gets me excited to get started.

Collaboration

If someone else I know is interested I will work with them. We will push each other to the finish.

Expectation

I feel a need to make my portfolio look bigger and better for the world and university applications.

Own images

We are lucky enough to be at NuVu

The timeline at NuVu can be challenging. We typically have just three weeks to develop our ideas and only one or two weeks to complete them, often resulting in unfinished projects.

There are many projects I’ve wanted to continue, but finding the motivation to work on them outside of the studio has been difficult.

Still, we are fortunate to be at NuVu, where we have access to incredible support and resources. However, not all students have access to spaces like this.

My View of NuVU

I am not alone (there are many teen makers)

There are many interesting kids out their that want to build or have built many things.

• Shubham Banerjee: Built a braille printer using lego mindstorms and now creates cheap braille printers.

• Remya Jose: Created a pedal-powered washing machine to help others without electricity.

• Emma Yang: Developed an app that helps Alzheimer's patients recognize their loved ones and stay connected.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/meet-13-year-old-who-invented-low-cost-braille-printer-180956659/

https://inhabitat.com/8-teenage-inventions-that-could-save-the-world/teenage-inventions-pedal-powered-washing-machine/#:~:text=14%2Dyear%2Dold%20designs%20pedal%2Dpowered%20washing%20machine,-When%20assigned%20with&text=Jose%20made%20her%20clever%20washing%20machine%20with%20recycled%20bicycle%20components,who%20lack%20access%20to%20electricity.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/timeless-a-mobile-app-for-alzheimer-s-patients#/

Team that won lego robotics 2024

-https://www.mrt3216.org/about

Two entrepreneurs that built AI study guid

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pradyu-kandala-694b42247/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhay-chebium/

Bunch of teen makers

I want to create a community for teen makers

There are so many interesting kids out there. Whether it is motivation or resources this community can help turn their ideas into reality.

In this space everyone supports each other and helps build out amazing creations.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/meet-13-year-old-who-invented-low-cost-braille-printer-180956659/

https://inhabitat.com/8-teenage-inventions-that-could-save-the-world/teenage-inventions-pedal-powered-washing-machine/#:~:text=14%2Dyear%2Dold%20designs%20pedal%2Dpowered%20washing%20machine,-When%20assigned%20with&text=Jose%20made%20her%20clever%20washing%20machine%20with%20recycled%20bicycle%20components,who%20lack%20access%20to%20electricity.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/timeless-a-mobile-app-for-alzheimer-s-patients#/

Team that won lego robotics 2024

-https://www.mrt3216.org/about

Two entrepreneurs that built AI study guid

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pradyu-kandala-694b42247/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhay-chebium/

Bunch of teen makers

Existing communities for builders are powerful

Y Combinator funds and helps entrepreneurs during 3 mth programs.

First lego league robotics is a robotics competition for teens.

Other examples:

YPO

Hampton

Arstechnica

Make

These are actually big businesses with huge outcomes!

(but none of these spaces are for teens)

dd other websites and communities around teens not just adults

Users want freedom

I talked with a few potential users and thought about what I would want in the website.

Creative freedom was an enormous item that they wanted.

Additionally, they wanted one page with all the projects shown.

Events are great ideas as well. It would give people short and interesting projects.

(by the way YPO makes $100M yearly!)

How to keep the community booming:

1. Interact with it yourself! Don't let others do it. Shout out cool people and if you need to pretend to be someone
2. Shout out others
3. Let cool people in
4. Newsletter(Cool projects and new people who joined and their spiel
5. Events: Ask people, big project sprints, competitions
6. Create new experiences
7. Spotlight people
8. Ask for feedback(Polls)

Talk abbout what I want and what my users want

Maker Sphere will bring together teen builders

Community features:

• Website and marketing pages
• Application form and approval process
• Private online forums for members
• Public user profile and portfolio pages
• Ongoing project pages
• In the future:
• awards
• fellowships
• sponsorship opportunities

Main take aways from that

If they are interested they can sign up

If people become interested while looking through the portfolios they can sign up.

To do so they would have to finish a form with questions about what they have done in the past, how they interact with others, and what they have built.

What is seen once signed up

Users have access to all the different areas. They can talk through forums, create projects together, and set up their own portfolios.

The Forums can be either public or private and can be linked to ongoing projects.

Project pages will have areas to post documentation and work.

The portfolios will show everyone on one page. They will be clickable to show personal descriptions and projects users have made.

Others will only see public projects and portfolios

While the creators get to talk amongst themselves and put their portfolios up, others won't have as much interaction. They can:

1. look through the portfolios

2. see the projects that are public

3. not put their own information up

We will build this a piece at a time

Starts with around 5 students building and talking.

Users talk about it online

Others join creating their own projects and portfolios.

More people are invited and graduates mentor them.

Time passes

Schools recognize this as a prestigious community.

We can start setting up investments for projects.

Community that helps each other and colleges recognize.

5 stages:

1. 5-30 people inviting others
2. Big community not really noticed though
3. Other notice community
4. Colleges recognize it as prestigious place
5. Maybe funding for bigger projects

Next steps & concerns

• user research - interview potential members(contact me if you know anyone or would want to be part of this)
• community research - interview people who run similar communities
• v0: get first 5-10 people on a discord or other social media group.
• v1: build simple website with 10 people and talk about it publicly
• v2: advertise on social media, linkedin and twitter and insta pages,

Concerns

• do people want this?
• can we be engaging?
• how will we find our first users?

Teen makers

title slide

tell me what this even is

OI? final report? date? team members? name of it?

Maker Sphere

Bringing Teen Builders Together



By Gabe Murray