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Found 94 Stories
An adult man is working with a young girl on an activity in SparkLab
Spark!Lab

About Spark!Lab

Draper Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors.

Hand tools and a CNC router
Blog

Missing the Physical World of Spark!Lab

What ever happened to touching stuff as a means of experience?

Ralph Baer playing his Telesketch game, 1977
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Ralph H. Baer Endowment for Invention Education

Contributions to the Ralph H. Baer Endowment will support invention education through the Lemelson Center.

Invent It Challenge logotype
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Spark!Lab Dr. InBae & Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge

The Spark!Lab Dr. InBae & Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge is a fun way to practice the invention process by actually creating something new that matters to the world, either by yourself or with a team of friends.

Computer-generated sketch of tree picker machine
DO Try This at Home!

Design a 21st Century Farming Device

What types of farming will your device be used for? Who will use your invention?

An array of parts from which a creature can be made; includes blue polyester fur, hinged aluminum rods, miscellaneous Lego bits and 3D-printed parts, and small balls made into eyes.
Blog

Encouraging Inventive Thinking Over Winter Break

Use the time and resources you have to foster inventive thinking in your family this winter break!

Computer-generated drawing of solar panels in the shape of a houseplant charging a cell phone
DO Try This at Home!

Create a Solar-Powered Invention

Create a solar-powered invention with virtual materials—or design your own parts and pieces.

Rocket launcher made from wood and other materials
DO Try This at Home!

Design a Spacecraft

Design a spacecraft with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Computer-generated image of a shopping cart
DO Try This at Home!

Reinvent the Shopping Cart

Reinvent a shopping cart with these virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Computer-generated image of people in a mass transit vehicle
DO Try This at Home!

Create a Mass Transit Vehicle

Create a mass transit vehicle (bus, plane, boat, train, spacecraft or something totally new) with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

A scooter made by a child
DO Try This at Home!

Invent a Toy

Invent a new toy with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Computer-generated parts to invent something to help clean up the ocean
DO Try This at Home!

Help Clean Up the Ocean

Use virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces—to build a 3D model of your invention that could help clean up the ocean.

Computer-generated object moving through a pipe
DO Try This at Home!

Invent a Device That Can Move Through a Pipe

Invent a device that can move through a pipe with these virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

3 Sparky stick figures tumbling around a drawing of a light bulb.
DO Try This at Home!

Design a Stadium

Design a stadium with virtual materials—or create your own parts and pieces.

Sparky logo
DO Try This at Home!

Invent a Musical Instrument

You can invent an instrument using common items found around your house. What type of instrument will you create?

Cover of Let’s Go Shopping with Peter and Penny children’s book
DO Try This at Home!

Let’s Tell a Story!

Stories tell us how inventions came to be and what inspired the inventors.

Computer-generated design work surface
DO Try This at Home!

Design an Innovative Voting Poster

Design a poster that will encourage people to vote in every election.

Sparky logo
DO Try This at Home!

Calling Young Inventors!

Spark!Lab’s 2020 Dr. InBae and Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge needs you!

Now What? game graphic
DO Try This at Home!

Spark!Lab's Now What? Invention Game

Unexpected problems often call for inventive solutions.

A young girl works on the Invent a Skate Park activity
DO Try This at Home!

Spark!Lab Activities

You can explore the history and process of invention through Draper Spark!Lab activities at home, too!

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  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.2125693160813%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.8022181146026%)
  • Archives@NMAH (Relevance: 8.2809611829945%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 3.0683918669131%)
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  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.5415896487985%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.547134935305%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.3271719038817%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.4380776340111%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 11.460258780037%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.8077634011091%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.4750462107209%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 3.4750462107209%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.4011090573013%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 5.9889094269871%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 3.1423290203327%)
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