projects by steph piper

I’m inspired and motivated by the idea of breaking down barriers to entry in tech. Each project is an exploration into ways to make it easier to learn tech skills in simpler, more fun and more beautiful ways. These values resonate in my projects and I believe tech skills should be open and accessible to everyone. I hope that my projects can help give others the inspiration, skills or pathway forward for building confidence, independence and joy in mastering the magic of tech.

Colorful cartoon flowers and rocks in a garden setting.
A black and white illustration of a tabletop with Skill Trees, each labeled with different skills like 3D Printing, Electronics, Gardening, Woodworking, Linux, and Reading and Writing. Some boards are color-coded with shaded hexagons, and there are drawing tools, a cup with pencils, a cup of coffee, an eraser, and a stylus on the table. The project title is prominently displayed in bold gold letters over the scene.

THE skill trees project & books

The Skill Trees Project is an open access repository of skill tree templates, inspired by video game skill trees and for tracking real life skills. Just color in the boxes of anything you’ve already done to visualise your progress, identify skill gaps and get inspired to try new things. The project has over 70 skills now covered, and the success of the project has inspired the Skill Seeker series of books, which allow you to track many skills at once.

THE PARTY BUTTON

Steph Piper standing next to the Party Button, a tall, metallic, futuristic-looking traffic light sculpture with digital and animated elements.

‘The Party Button’ project is an interactive artwork, designed to surprise and delight the public through subverting expectations. Inspired by crosswalk traffic interfaces, it is made up of a ‘walking man’ traffic light and a traffic light button. When the button is pressed, the standard crosswalk ‘slow beep/fast beep’ combo is played, transitioning into one of twenty party tracks. The lights switch on, showing the traffic light characters dancing in a rainbow of LED colours. For more information, see the project page.

glowstitch

One of the easiest and most versatile ways to add lights to projects, from wearable technology to arts and crafts. Perfect for hobbyists, makers, cosplayers, teachers and schools. See more on the project page.

soldering kits

My soldering kits have a unique, colourful aesthetic designed make learning how to solder a delight. These are now stocked with Adafruit (USA) and Pimoroni (UK), and are also available through my Etsy Store (Australia).

Three enamel pins featuring space and astronaut themes, and a black and gold moon-shaped LED light decoration with floral patterns on a white background.
The Maker Queen logo, featuring a cartoon-style Wrench and Screwdriver, surrounded by a pink tiara.
Steph Piper and Dr. John Lamb in a medical office, wearing face masks and protective gear. The woman in the foreground holds a 3D printed face shield, while the man in the background is dressed in scrubs and wearing gloves.

DARLING DOWNS PPE

This type of PPE is a full face protection against patients coughing/sneezing for frontline healthcare workers. It is made up of 3D printed and laser cut parts, and is designed by PRUSA Research. A collaboration of local businesses came together to lead the project in the Darling Downs area. Located out in regional Queensland, this project demonstrates our ability to bring together local manufacturers and expertise to respond to a supply chain need. The project provided 370 face shields for our local healthcare workers, including Darling downs health, Oakey Hospital, Aged Care and GP's in Dalby and wider areas.

Steph Piper raising her right fist covered in a white, 3D printed voronoi pattern cast for broken bones wearing a colorful floral-patterned top.

3D PRINTED CASTS

Steph Piper has designed and 3D printed casts for broken bones. In collaboration with the Toowoomba Base Hospital, she 3D scanned her own arm and designed a cast to be breathable and strong. After the proof of concept was completed, it was made into an open-source project on instructables.com for others to build on and use as a starting point for developing 3D printed casts. For more information, see project page here.

A person is wearing a 3D printed, white, open-weave, mesh-like cast for broken bones on their left arm.
Two geometric side tables with wood and plastic frames, one green and one white, placed on a beige carpet in front of a dark grey couch with tropical and animal print pillows, and a white fuzzy throw blanket. A green plant with trailing vines is beside the tables.

3D PRINTABLE

FURNITURE

Steph Piper designed a 3D printable stool using printed and timber parts. The stool has a modern, sleek designed and is fully functional for usage at home or work. This project is a future look at what we can expect in the way we consume homewares. By printing things at home or locally, we can build a ‘decentralised economy’, cutting down on the environmental impact of international shipping. Parts can be recycled into new things after their lifecycle is complete. For more information, see project page here.

Assorted wooden dowels, plastic corner braces, and a gray triangular piece on a green textured surface. The dowels are labeled with diameters: 420mm, 300mm, and 250mm, with quantities listed as 6 for the 420mm, three 300mm pieces, and three 250mm pieces. The gray triangular piece is labeled as 19mm diameter dowel.

Let’s work together

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