Full STEAM ahead with Sprout Pro by HP and KiraKira3D

Anybody who’s encountered a middle- or high-schooler studying math or science has heard this frustrating complaint: “When am I going to use this in real life?”

It’s the very same question that Suz Somersall, CEO and Founder of KiraKira3D, had as an aspiring engineering student at Brown University, where she found the materials for learning mechanical engineering software utilitarian, lacking context and mostly geared toward men. She was turned off by lesson plans for creating hand tools, auto parts and gears, she said, objects that didn’t seem to further her ambitions to be an artist and designer.

“I wanted to study engineering, but the content offered in the intro classes wasn’t very compelling,” she said. “What I wanted was to be inspired to be creative.”

KiraKira3D learners can create a variety of things, including space-inspired decor, sunglasses, household objects, tabletop games, and through the company’s “fashioneer” series, designer jewelry. The video lessons—most of which feature female instructors who are engineers, animators, designers, architects and computer scientists—teach basics in Autodesk TinkerCAD and Maya, Fusion 360, Solidworks, Rhino 3D and other design, animation and 3D modeling software.

“Our instructors lead students through a creative process with design thinking, and produce something really compelling at the end of the lesson,” Somersall said. “We are trying to blend art and engineering skills while also getting the students comfortable with making mistakes or going off on their own and put their own twist on a design.”

The customization possibilities makes KiraKira3D’s approach a good fit for Sprout Pro by HP, which is uniquely suited for education, tinkering and experimentation. Dubbed an Immersive Computing platform, Sprout Pro blurs the barriers between the physical and digital worlds by way of a fully-functional PC and built-in cameras and projectors that enable 2D and 3D scanning and image manipulation – right from the desktop.

“HP’s collaboration with KiraKira3D will bring new learning opportunities to millions of students with a special emphasis on inspiring women and girls to engage in STEM-related activities,” said Gus Schmedlen, vice president of education at HP. “KiraKira3D’s instructional videos and hands-on experiences using the latest HP Immersive and Multi Jet Fusion Technologies will empower students to master the skills needed for the jobs of the future.”

HP and KiraKira3D are developing a series of 10 video lessons for Sprout Pro by HP that are set to be available for free next month on KiraKira3D.com.

KiraKira3D and HP share a common vision for 3D printing and see its potential to disrupt manufacturing, retail and ushers in an era of consumer customization.

“Democratizing access to these types of skills is increasingly important as 3D printing becomes more ubiquitous,” Somersall said. “We are really excited to see the things our students will create.”