How the world’s first 3D pen is helping London’s disadvantaged children

Although the World Cup is currently in full swing in Brazil a different type of excitement is taking place in London, where disadvantaged children are being treated to a hands-on experience with some of the world’s leading tech gadgets.

Known as The Tech Hub, the scheme will let children use the world’s first 3D pen alongside new 3D printers and “augmented reality” spectacles. The aim of the project is to help children from the most disadvantaged and deprived backgrounds use new technology that will not only inspire them, but also advance their career opportunities.

Otherwise known as the 3Doodler, the 3D pen caused excitement across the internet last year when it was introduced to the Kickstarter platform where 26,000 people raised over $2 million to get production of the pen started. According to reports, it has also gone down a storm with the children at The Tech Hub, where they have enjoyed “drawing” an array of creative and fantastical shapes.

Based at Dragon Hall in Convent garden, The Tech Hub aims to steer away from conventional modes of mentoring, which includes “CV writing sessions, job searching classes and work placements.”

According to the Dragon Hall website:

“We want to offer an opportunity to access as much new technology as possible, to create things with a 3D printer, to learn how to code, to be given the tools to build robotics, to design virtual reality games – whatever it takes.

“Our plans are to develop the Hub to enable people of all ages to access cutting edge technology in a fun and creative environment, to keep the activities free or at an affordable cost and to involve everyone in the digital wonders that just keep on happening!”

James Dellow, a Youth and Innovation Manager at the Convent Garden Dragon Hall Trust spoke to the London Standard and said that, “there’s a digital elite who have access to all these wonderful developments that are revolutionising our world and a tech-underclass who do not.”

With more pen technologies appearing on websites such as Kickstarter on a seemingly endless basis, it is interesting to see just how these inventions can be used to help the disadvantaged. It also poses the intriguing question of how much more potential there is out there, just waiting to be discovered by charities.

The TechDay at Dragon Hall takes place on June 17 and digital tickets can be sought here.