W@F’s Favorite Things Created By Women
We’re at it again for 2014. Who made the list? We’ve found our 5 favorite things- created by women.
By Amy H. Fonseca
It seems like yesterday we assembled our first-ever list of Favorite Things Created by Women. Yes, we’ve worked with the holiday elves again this year to find five inventive gifts you’ll covet. The only caveat? They’re all designed, built, founded, fashioned or constructed by women. So gear up once more, here’s part two: W@F’s 5 Favorite Things created by trailblazing women in 2014.
Co-Founders of Roominate, Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen, bonded over being two of the only women in the master’s engineering program at Stanford. The pair chatted and realized they were both inspired to pursue engineering due to one common factor: childhood toys. Enter the concept of Roominate- a playhouse that kids can build, design and wire using motor and
light circuits, modular furniture building pieces and walls. Still don’t believe the kids in your life will love it? TIME Magazine just named Roominate the number one toy of 2014.
Cynthia Breazeal understands we’re all busy, so she’s building us our own personal assistant. Breazeal is a pioneer of Social Robotics and a professor at MIT. She’s also the creator of Jibo, the world’s first family robot. Jibo isn’t any robot, though; he’s a six-pound machine, which can dance to music, photograph you, remind you of tasks, communicate messages and tell stories
to your children. We bet you’re wondering, where can I sign up? Unfortunately, Jibo is no longer accepting pre-orders and is only shipping to early supporters of their crowdfunding campaign. However, we consider this one worth the wait! If you sign up for Jibo’s email list, he’ll let you know when you can place your order.
Have you ever built a circuit with no wires or breadboard required? Analisa Russo, S. Brett Walker and Michael Bell have developed Circuit Scribe; a roller ball pen filled with conductive silver ink that makes creating circuits as simple as doodling in a notebook. The only objects required to build functioning circuits are a coin battery, paper clip and LED. Circuit Scribe is a
unique gift for Makers, STEM Educators, Artists, Kids, Life Hackers and anyone who enjoys making.
Newton and The Apple is a chic store on Etsy that transforms sound wave images of your voice into art. Creators Gemma and Kerry Hutchinson are a sibling duo from England, one sister with a background in auditory science and the other in art and graphic design. The two have combined art and science into one with the Personalized Sound Wave Print. Just record a
voice with your phone, email the file to the company and they’ll create a print based on the unique characteristics of the sound. If you’re searching for additional one-of-a-kind gifts, check out Newton and The Apple’s Hanging Glass Test Tube Vase and Genius Elements Periodic Table Cards.
We claim that fierce Female-Game Changer, Amy Purdy was on the W@F radar way back when- you know, before she became a sensation on Dancing With The Stars, a Paralympic bronze medalist and friends with Oprah. Amy is also Co-Founder of Adaptive Action Sports, a non-profit for individuals with physical disabilities involved in action sports, art and music.
What’s next for this powerhouse? An inspirational memoir for 2015. In it, Amy details the story of losing her legs, life as a ‘fembot’ and finding her spiritual path. On My Own Two Feet is out on December 30th, but we’ll have it preordered on our e-readers before you can say ‘Happy Holidays.’
That’s it. That’s our list of favorite things created by trailblazing women in 2014. And while we’ve finished the majority of our shopping, there’s still a little more time. Chime in and let us know your thoughts. What gifts would you add to the list this year?
Opinions on these products are strictly W@F’s and we’ve received no compensation for mention of products on our blog or website. Pictures obtained through screenshot from Ruminate, Jibo, Circuit Scribe, Newton and the Apple, Amy Purdy
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Fonseca
Prior to catching the Women@TheFrontier bug, Amy was a research and clinical speech-language pathologist interested in the impact of technology on individuals with disabilities. Today, she is a wife, mom, lover of words, Co-Founder and Managing Editor for Women@TheFrontier.
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