AI - Artificial Intelligence

Have you ever wondered if machines will take over Earth??  When you compare the productivity of a machine vs human there is a marked difference.  Similarly if you think about what makes us human, can a machine replace these qualities of empathy, emotion, unpredictability etc., 
We know that technology is developing at a rate beyond compare.  How we have lived in the past continues to evolve and change as this technology consumes more of our attention and impacts on us daily.   

The AI Forum of NZ defines artificial intelligence as "advanced digital technologies that enable machines to reproduce or surpass abilities that would require intelligence if humans were to perform them".  So what this means is that machines can now learn and adapt from simple repetitive tasks to be able to work autonomously with creativity whilst consuming vast quantities of data.

If this is scary then that's what change is all about.  To read more click on this link to an article by Callaghan Innovation

goo.gl/Pf9z9G

Experimenting with 3D printing

Every couple of years we take a group of senior students to the Wearable Arts Awards in Wellington.  With this in mind, I have been playing around with tulle and the 3D printer.  Surprisingly I had success on my first attempt.  Below you will see a series of images from printing the shapes to removing the design and then how this creation could be fashioned into part of a garment - shoulder pads, wrist strap, glove, pocket etc.,  It will be interesting to see what the students will produce.

Tapigami Bridges

During camp week the year 7’s took up the challenge to manipulate masking tape in a process that is called “tapigami”.  In groups the girls were to create a free-standing bridge spanning 25cm using only masking tape.   Strong team work, perseverance and zero waste produced structures that showed some excellent design-thinking.  Initially this task seemed easy for some that later became difficult, or was tricky to start with but became doable.   The end result demonstrated creativity, engineering, precision as well as adaptability and flexible thinking.