Star Simpson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Star Simpson
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Star Simpson in 2017
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| Born |
Hawaii
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Known for | Engineering and Design |
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Notable work
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Circuit Classics, Tacocopter |
Star Simpson is an American inventor and entrepreneur who lives in Los Angeles. She is known for creating many cool projects, especially involving drones. She even helped design special self-flying aircraft for DARPA, a research group in San Francisco.
Early Life
Star Simpson grew up in Hawaii. Her parents owned a jewelry business. From a young age, she was very interested in technology.
When she was 8 years old, she first heard about MIT, a famous technology school. In high school, she worked on projects that helped her learn technical skills. She even helped build one of the world's biggest Wi-Fi networks. She also worked with a new type of software called "wiki", which is a Hawaiian word.
Time at MIT
When Star Simpson started studying at MIT, she quickly found a student group called MITERS. This group was all about electronics and research.
In 2007, while she was a student at MIT, Star created a special sweatshirt. It had a colorful, glowing name tag on it. When she wore this sweatshirt at Boston Logan Airport, there was a big misunderstanding. People thought her sweatshirt was a strange device. The situation was quickly cleared up, and any charges were dropped later.
Star studied at MIT from 2006 to 2010. She returned to MIT in 2015 to share her experiences at a conference about the freedom to invent new things.
In 2017, MIT even created a special "disobedience" award. This award celebrates people who show a kind of disobedience that helps society. Star Simpson's experience as a student at MIT helped inspire this award.
Career and Inventions
Star Simpson's project called TacoCopter was one of the first drone delivery projects to get a lot of attention. This happened in March 2012, even before big companies like Amazon and Google announced their own drone ideas. The TacoCopter was designed to deliver tacos!
In 2013, Star started a fun event called PLIBMTTBHGATY. This stands for "Programming Languages I've Been Meaning To Try But Haven't Gotten Around To Yet." It's a friendly way for people to learn new computer programming languages.
In 2016, Star launched Circuit Classics. These are kits that help people learn about how electronic circuits work. She brought back the hand-drawn designs of a famous electronics expert named Forrest M. Mims III. Circuit Classics use printed circuit boards to teach the basics of circuit design.
While working at Otherlab, an engineering company in San Francisco, Star developed a drone called APSARA. The name APSARA comes from a Hindi word. This drone is a cardboard glider that can carry small packages, up to two pounds. Star's team designed APSARA with money from DARPA. They wanted a drone that could deliver things in emergencies and then completely disappear once it landed.
In 2017, Star Simpson also helped start Project Alloy. This is a non-profit group that helps people from groups who are not often seen in technology attend conferences.
Star Simpson is also a co-founder of a new company that focuses on drones.
In 2020, Star's drone delivery company, ThereCraft, became public. ThereCraft's drones are special because they use a unique "lifting body" design, which helps them fly efficiently.
Star Simpson is also a private glider pilot.
Public Appearances
- 2015: MIT: Freedom to Innovate
- 2015: Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast with Star Simpson
- 2016: TEDxBoulder: Late Night Taco Delivery by Drone (The Future?)
- 2016: Circuit Classics – XOXO Festival
- 2016: Hackaday Superconference
- 2018: Maui Makers TalkStory Quotes
Images for kids
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Star Simpson in 2017
