Einstein takes a step beyond the data logger and brings mobile innovation to your school’s Science lab.
Amongst the endless rows of third-rate tablets at the BETT Show this year, one device caught my eye, and it turned out to be one of the most exciting products I’ve seen in a while.
If you’re struggling to find a way to bring mobile technology into your Science lab, or fed up with complicated data loggers, Einstein is for you.
Einstein is a suite of hardware, software, and online services which together creates a new way to do science in the classroom. At the core of Einstein is an impressive selection of sensors which allows you to input data from almost any source. The sensors can be connected to a tablet, laptop, or desktop, and the recorded data is processed by an app or transferred online to a Science specific learning platform.
Einstein Tablet+: More Than Just a Data Logger
The Einstein Tablet+ looks on the surface to be a standard 7 inch Android tablet. But on top of all the usual features you’d expect from a tablet, it also includes a heart rate monitor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a UV detector, and temperature monitor. A 10 inch version is also in the works.
External sensors can be connected to the Tablet+ through four micro-USB ports on the top of the device.
Einstein External Sensors
But on top of there is also a ridiculously wide range of external sensors that you can plug in to the Tablet+. Want to monitor rainfall, CO2 emissions, conductivity, blood pressure, pH, or even audio volume? There’s sensor for that!
Einstein LabMate+
But what if you already have a tablet and want to use the Einstein sensors? The LabMate+ is for you.
The LabMate+ is a small unit that connects via Bluetooth to your current device. It works with Windows, Mac, Android and soon iOS. The LabMate+ includes many of the sensors found in the Einstein Tablet+, and also supports all of the external sensors listed above.
In the experiment above a LabMate+ with a CO2 sensor is placed into a sealed tank with a couple of plants. A laptop outside of the tank connects via Bluetooth and records the CO2, humidity, temperature, and light levels in the tank.
Einstein Apps and Online
The tablet and sensors on their own aren’t much use without some way to tie all of the data together. For this Einstein provide an online Science VLE where teachers and students can create experiments and process the data. The is also a range of apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac, that can take output for the Tablet+, LabMate+, and sensors to develop and record experiments.
We hope to have more on the Einstein range of devices soon. In the meantime you can find out more from the Einstein website.
