Nathaniel Hartman

Nathaniel Hartman is a visual artist and is currently lecturing in Art and Technology at The Ohio State University. He works with electronics, sound, video, and programming in his practice to create interactive art installations.

Nathaniel has been a maker his entire life, working with LEGO's as a child and becoming fascinated with math and science. He is an advocate of Open Source tools and technology and hopes to teach children about the possibilities of electronics and programming.

July

2013

1st Week at COSI – 3D Printing Adventures (and Breakdowns)

This has been my first week on the floor of COSI for the Maker Corps. It seems like it has flown by and a lot of kids have learned about Artbots (moving robots that make art) and 3D printing and 3D modeling. I am amazed by all the kids that just come into an activity and really understand the ins and outs of how something works.

On Monday, we made Artbots out of foam pool noodles that you can pick up from the dollar store. These are a great base for any robotics project because they are flexible, will not break if dropped, and kids already understand the material and how to it works. After a little bit of work making battery holders and attaching a button to their motors to create the vibrating motion for their bots, the kids set them moving across a big sheet of paper which is now hanging in the BigKidLab at COSI...