I'll be the first one to admit I am not at the forefront when it comes to being "tech savvy" - not even close - so to see a story like this unfold is kind of mid boggling and it goes to show, at least some of us must be doing something right when it comes to parenting our children. That, or there are definitely child prodigy's out there.
Apparently the makers of Lego (you know the little plastic interlocking blocks most of us had kicking around as kids) put out a new brand of Lego called Mindstorms that allows users to put together robotic type creations. Wow. If I could build anything resembling a square house I was doing good! But anyway, there are people who apparently are more equipped for such tasks. When 12 year old Shubham Banerjee picked up the blocks he created something nothing short of amazing. He developed a braille printer. While the unit is still in the prototype stages, reportedly it's showing plenty of promise of becoming the real thing.
Incredible.
While I'm not quite sure why, Banerjee says he noticed that the braille printers currently on the market can cost upwards of $2,000, taking them out of the hands of most of the average consumers so when tasked with a science fair project, he came up with a printer. The Lego kit cost about $350 but with time, the cost of new technology always comes down, making this creation a very viable solution to giving those in need access to the printer - something it's creator is hoping will happen.
Banjeree, at the ripe age of 12, is now working with those who can guide him, to fully develop the design open source so anyone can run with it and bring the concept from "toy" to reality.
What a great story. There are some amazing minds out there at all ages they need only be encouraged and nurtured. It's hard to believe how far we've come and I'm guessing it's only the tip of the ice berg. Interesting times to be living in - that is for sure.
"This is perhaps the most beautiful time in human history; it is really pregnant with all kinds of creative possibilities made possible by science and technology which now constitute the slave of man - if man is not enslaved by it." - Jonas Salk
