Learning to Juggle

We’re busy as ever at the studio, which I’m sure is no surprise to our readers. One of the ways we think about our work here is like juggling multiple objects - some are heavier than others, some come in and out of the cycle quickly, and some stay for a while. Our goal is to increase our juggling capacity, and it can be a challenge, especially when we have a lot going on, but it’s up to us to improvise, adapt, and overcome.

Without further ado, here are some updates!

Senior Design Teams

There are two teams we’re working with this semester - the Tile Team and the Platform Team. The former, pictured below, has already built two prototypes to explore force sensing from square to triangular tile, and they recently met with NIU’s ergonomics professor, Jaejin Hwang, to discuss further options.

The Platform Team, on the other hand, visited Brianno Coller, one of NIU’s mechanical engineering professors, and worked on a model platform that can learn from F1 racing sim rigs. The modular structure can be moved by four activators, creating programmed movement.

In layman’s terms, they’re working on a simulator for the Vespa - picture something like this:

They’ll be working with four haptic motion actuators that will deliver realistic pitch, roll, and heave motions in order to enhance our response time, motion control, and realistic system feedback. Pretty cool, right? Check out our page on Vespa Mode Projects to learn more!

Northern Exposure

Last week:

Sofia Ellen Mattson was this week’s Northern Exposure guest. In her lecture, she discussed the restorative effects of virtual reality (VR) Nature and how it can be used as therapy. Mattson studies how people experience social spaces and their virtual counterparts and then turns that information into design and strategy.

Mattson explained that while VR Nature can be therapeutic, it is not a substitute for actual therapy and real-life exposure to nature. However, her studies show that it is a viable option for those who might not have access to a forest in their backyard. Click on the photo to visit her website and learn more about her research!

Day Two - RHoK

Calling all problem solvers! Day two of Random Hacks of Kindness is approaching fast! We’re helping out the Huskie Closet, a non-profit that gives NIU students free clothing.

At our last session, we showed students what they’re working on and gave them time to brainstorm with their teams, and now, we’re pushing them to present their ideas to a panel of judges, and the best of the best will be rewarded through implementation!

Day Two will take place on October 16th in the 71 North Studio from 10 AM-12:30 PM and will see teams finalize their prototypes and present them to the Huskie Closet!

Northern Exposure: Stacy Kelly, Welcome to the Blindness Experience! This Friday 10/16/2026 at 1:00pm

Free Legal Guidance For Entrepreneurs!

We are going to host the NIU Business Law Innovation Clinic at the De La Vega Innovation Lab this Wednesday between 3:30-5:00 PM. Our entrepreneurial students will be able to get custom legal help and guidance related to their current or future businesses.

Student Organization Highlights

Fiber Arts Club

We’ve had a pretty relaxed week so far, but things are going to get busy soon. Last night, we hung out with the Latino Resources Center at their Huichol yarn painting and Ojos de Dios event. Yarn is kind of our thing, so they invited us to join in!

Thanks to the grant we got for the DeKalb County Jail (DCJ) crochet class, we were able to buy some supplies that we needed: alphabet beads so the inmates could put their initials on the stitch markers in their projects, granny square cards with instructions so we can create larger projects, and we’re hoping to purchase a yarn winder and storage cabinet in the near future. The grant also helps to pay for transportation to and from the jail.

Tomorrow morning, we’re co-hosting a mending cafe with the Pick Museum where students and staff can learn how to mend their own clothes, a life skill that’s often overlooked in favor of fast fashion.

On Friday, we’re collaborating with the HuskieFurs to teach them some basic sewing skills, and then we’ll create characters with felt - a beginner-friendly craft that benefits both clubs!

We have lots to look forward to!

Huskie Hackers

We won’t be meeting this week since it’s midterm season for a lot of Computer Science majors. Plus, we just finished our Game Jam and are feeling proud of it, so we think we deserve a break.

The game (F.I.H.) is still in the judging phase. Feel free to play it if you want!

Indie Game Developers Organization

We didn’t meet last week since one of our leaders was traveling and the other was sick with the plague.

NIU Garden Club

Last week, we used recycled cardboard to coat the burgeoning weeds in the library’s entryway garden beds. About a month ago, we plucked weeds from the very same beds; Here’s the before photos:

And after:

Unfortunately, the compost that we layered over the old soil wasn’t enough to keep the weeds from sprouting again, so we decided to lay down cardboard to really curb stomp those suckers. We didn’t have enough to completely cover one bed, but this week, we’ll finish the job!

Society of Women Engineers

We had a turnout of five people at our latest event, which is pretty low, but it’s because it was midterms week for engineering students. We toured the 71 North Studio and debuted our studio’s slideshow!

After that, we played on the magic cube, talked about the studio’s senior design projects, and some even stayed late for Tech Tacos! We’ll probably come back later in the semester so more people can see what the studio has to offer.

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