By Makoba Kizito, Lucy Mwaniki and Rodney Ndemo

CEMASTEA has established a Makerspace to promote innovation and creativity among students, allowing them to work on projects and solve real-life challenges. The space hosts schools from various educational levels, including high schools, junior secondary schools, and primary schools. Students are drawn to technology and robotics, demonstrating a love for STEM through practical application. The space offers hands-on activities using tools and applications such as Scratch, Lego Ev3 robot, MakeyMakey, and Arduino. This allows learners to explore computational design thinking concepts and brainstorm projects to grow and promote imagination, creativity, innovation, and problem-solving among learners. Some projects created in the maker spaces using Arduino Mega are described below.

Smart dustbin

A Lego dustbin with an ultrasonic sensor detects objects less than 10 cm away, prompting the servo motor to open the lid.

Smart calculator

This calculator showcases keypad programming and uses a Styrofoam LCD screen powered by a 9V battery to perform arithmetic and geometric equations.

Smart home security system

The project used RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to lock and unlock a door using a reader and servo motor, a cardboard box casing, and card input.

Going forward, these experiences could lead to collaborations with other organisations in the STEM space and introduce the concept of developing projects using tools and applications such as Arduino. Teachers and school leaders will be sensitised to sustain these makers’ spaces and related activities.