"Hangout & Nerdout" Ep. 7 Brings You Into PLAY Mode with Toys and RC Vehicles

“Hangout & Nerdout” is a virtual community meetup series co-produced by Hackster and Make:. The monthly get-together brings members of both communities together to explore technology, innovation, and education.

Everyone grows up playing, but some take it to the extreme with their own maker spin! This Hangout & Nerdout episode features three guests giving talks about the toys and RC vehicles they’ve helped create. Ghostbusters: Afterlife's prop maker Ben Eadie will be sharing movie magic and CAD tips. Eliza Kosoy didn't see many faces like hers in her STEM career, so she made the programmable, inspirational Eliza Dolls. And as CTO of Holybro, Vincent Poon will be sharing his story and some of the latest advancements in drone FPV and autopilot technology.

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Meet our nerds:

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Ben Eadie is a movie prop maker, practical special effects designer, inventor, nerd, and is a high-collared cape and monocle away from being a mad scientist. He has worked on movies like Ghostbusters: Afterlife, StarTrek Beyond, Maze Runner and Predator, and have designed movie magics like car flippers, and other crazy man eating machines. He has made two of the largest rotating sets in movie history, and shares tips on computer aided design and 3D modelling with SolidWorks and OnShape tutorials online. We're excited to hear his magic tricks story such as building "WILSON ROBOT FOR TOM HANKS".

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Eliza Kosoy is a PhD student at UC Berkeley working in child development and Artificial Intelligence working with Prof. Alison Gopnik, previously she worked at MIT. She has worked as a data analyst, coached a LEGO robotics team and hosted a local TV show where sassy children debated the intellectual elite such as Nobel Prize winners. During her time in various computational labs and start-ups she couldn’t help but notice how few women and POC surrounded her, she set out to change that with Eliza dolls! Our mission is to spark curiosity and wonder in the hearts of young girls and inspire their confidence in STEM engineering. Eliza will enable a new generation of women scientists that will fundamentally change the balance of power in technology and create better products for society.

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Vince Poon is a robot and drone enthusiast. He was born in Hong Kong and lived in the US for 20 years before moving back. As an engineer, he has worked on LaserJet printers for Hewlett-Packard, gas turbines for Solar Turbines, autonomous robots for Hong Kong Airport, and drones for Holybro. Currently, he is the CTO of Holybro, a drone hardware manufacturer that makes hardware for both professionals and hobbyists. He has been flying FPV drones for many years as a hobby and as part of his job in Holybro.

See you on May 11!

Till then, explore our past episodes where we chat with experts and curious creators about wearables, sustainability, art, 3D printing, space innovation, and music!