From WALL-E in Pixar’s film of the same name, to BB-8 and C-3PO in Star Wars, future-looking fictions have always been filled with unforgettable robotic companions. But what would your ideal robot sidekick be like? In this fast-paced, hands-on robotics studio, you’ll imagine, design, and build your own robotic companion — one that makes everyday tasks easier, more fun, or more creative. By the end of the studio, you’ll have imagined and built your own new Robo BFF!

Are you an athlete or sports lover? In this studio, you’ll have the opportunity to create an innovative product that will improve how you or another athlete plays the game. From training gear to in-game apparatuses, you’ll use cutting-edge technology to create exciting sports products. At the end of the studio, you’ll get to pitch your branded products to mock investors - Shark Tank style.

Create your own gaming universe in the Beyond Board Games studio!
This studio merges game design, world-building, and digital artistry, empowering you to design immersive, story-driven board games that blend strategy, creativity, and imagination. You will engage in the full cycle of game creation — from concept development and narrative design to prototyping and production — using tools such as 3D printing and laser cutting to build custom components. Along the way, you will explore how mechanics, aesthetics, and storytelling can be used not just to entertain, but to inform, inspire, and engage players on important topics.

Battlebotics propels students into the world of robotic competition. Here, you will design remote-controlled bots to battle other bots using defensive and offensive mechanisms inspired by animal features! How can the spikes of a porcupine, an octopus’s arms, or a lion’s bite turn your creature into the winner of NuVu’s premier robot games? Get ready to unleash your bots into the arena filled with surprises and hidden traps to compete in obstacle courses, tag team tasks, and sumo challenges!

In this studio, you will embrace your green thumbs to create unique, modular hydroponic systems that bring life and creativity to their spaces! You’ll research elements like sunlight, temperature, and water flow to inspire your designs, and then brainstorm concepts, build prototypes, and experiment with different materials and techniques. In the end, you will present their hydroponic systems as pieces of functional art, showcasing their creativity and sustainability solutions in a final exhibition!

Join us for an exciting summer adventure in Tiny House, Big Ideas, where you will dive into the world of architecture. In this hands-on design studio, you will brainstorm, ideate, and prototype a tiny house for a particular client: yourselves! Considering your own interests, hobbies, and habits, you will create the tiny house of your dreams. Explore the essential elements of architecture, learn about cutting-edge building techniques, and experiment with innovative materials. 

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As architects-in-training, you will brainstorm, conceptualize, draft plans, and build scale models using innovative fabrication techniques, all while discovering that small spaces can make a big impact.

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Fight, robots, fight! In this advanced Battlebotics studio, participants will design and build ant-weight (one pound) battle-ready robots, complete with drive systems, defensive armor, and unique engineered weapons. After carefully considering possible designs and researching precedents, bot designers will use CAD drawing, 3D printing, and advanced mechanical engineering and fabrication to bring their bot to life. This studio culminates with a Bot V Bot tournament, in which the robots will enter the cage and face off. May the best bot win!

Dive into the world of creative coding and generative design! In this two-week studio, you’ll use p5.js, a fun and accessible coding platform, to transform patterns from nature into dynamic visual art. Explore how simple lines, shapes, and algorithms can generate stunning, ever-changing imagery. Along the way, you’ll develop coding skills, experiment with interactivity, and bring your digital creations to life. The studio will culminate in a gallery-style exhibition where you’ll showcase your interactive works to the community. No prior coding experience needed—just curiosity, creativity, and a love of visual experimentation!

Step into the future of high-end fashion! In this studio, you’ll explore how technology and design collide to shape what we wear next. From 3D-printed elements and laser-cut patterns to wearable electronics and responsive textiles, you’ll experiment with cutting-edge tools that push the boundaries of traditional couture. You’ll prototype, test, and refine your designs while blending engineering, artistry, and innovation. The studio wraps up with a fashion show and exhibition, where your futuristic designs will light up the runway.

In Exploration Rovers, young explorers will dive into the realm of mobility, where they will unleash their creativity by designing, building, and reimagining futuristic rovers. These innovative vehicles are more than just machines; they represent the future of human exploration across uncharted terrains. Participants will be challenged to envision and construct their own sci-fi rovers, discovering the potential they hold for advancing human exploration into new and thrilling discoveries. They will discover uncharted lands that humans have yet to roam and design adaptive rovers that will face the challenges of these extraterrestrial terrains.

In Escape Room: Spy Games, you will dive behind the scenes of escape rooms and discover what it takes to create mind bending puzzles and games. You’ll visit a local escape room, Red Fox Escapes, to experience the immersive adventure first hand. Then, you’ll draw on that challenge to design and fabricate interactive puzzles and props inspired by espionage, cryptography, and spy legends.This studio combines critical thinking and creativity, challenging you to create puzzles and code clues in a spy-centered quest.

In this two-week studio, you’ll explore the design process through the playful world of pets! Observe animal behaviors, uncover their needs, and brainstorm inventive ways to make their lives happier, healthier, and more fun. From clever toys to cozy habitats, you’ll prototype and test your creations using a range of materials and techniques. The studio will culminate in a lively pet product showcase, where you’ll present your imaginative designs for our furry (or feathered!) friends.

In this studio, you’ll be working with your peers to design, engineer, and build an E-Go-Kart, or electric go-kart, that will navigate on the roadways of our NuVu Grand Prix! As a team, you’ll work on the design of all the elements: chassis, exterior shell, interior cabin, steering apparatus, onboard display, and any other custom features that you can imagine. The style is up to you: futuristic, sci-fi steampunk, fantastical, vintage, geometric, minimalist, or modern-chic. You’ll also use a variety of sensors, such as ultrasonic sensors, color detecting cameras, and pressure sensors, to navigate the course with ease. You’ll be drifting across the NuVu Grand Prix in style! One of the highlights of our summer program, students will test drive these hand-built vehicles in an exciting final lap exhibition that is sure to draw a crowd!

Are you ready to make your mark? Graffiti Bot brings together engineering and art through the design of a unique graffiti-making robot. You’ll start by experimenting with bold drawings and creative mark-making, then take it to the next level by designing and building your own drawing machine. Using innovative mechanical movements and creative designs, you’ll create large-scale art through machines that move, spin, and draw in unexpected ways. Along the way, you’ll explore how technology can amplify artistic expression — and end the session with your own original graffiti bot in action!

In Pop-Up Architecture, you will explore how design can respond to real-world challenges through creativity, empathy, and innovation. Drawing inspiration from origami, paper engineering, and pop-up structures, campers will design and build lightweight, portable architectural models that fold, unfold, and transform.
Through hands-on experimentation with materials and mechanisms, you will prototype shelters and spaces that can be easily deployed — for people on the move, in emergency situations, or living without access to permanent housing. Along the way, you’ll learn about structural design, spatial thinking, and the power of design to make a difference in people’s lives.
The studio will culminate in a Pop-Up Exhibition, where students showcase their designs and demonstrate how their structures unfold to create possibility, protection, and beauty — anywhere.

In the brand-new Super Splash Lab: Projectiles studio, you will dive into physics and engineering principles as you design and build innovative water spray and launch toys. Through hands-on experiments, you'll explore concepts like projectile design, fluid dynamics, force, and pressure, using this knowledge to develop a unique final project—such as a high-powered water balloon launcher or a redesigned Super Soaker™. This studio invites students to blend creativity with technical skills, sparking curiosity and problem-solving in a fun, interactive environment. On the final day, students will test out their devices… make sure to bring a towel!

In AI Fashion House, you will harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to embark on a virtual globetrotting adventure, exploring diverse communities and cultures worldwide. You will be exploring the world through patterns and garments, and learning about the different values and meanings visually encoded in them. With the growth of fast fashion, garments are no longer encoded with the value systems of our cultures. Throughout this studio, you will self-reflect and define your own life values to create patterned garments using AI to visualize their designed patterns. Finally, you will use hand-printing techniques for fabric to transfer these patterns onto garments, capturing the essence of their values, culture, and diversity in their creations.

Step right up to the DIY Arcade, where you will dream up and build your own one-of-a-kind arcade game! While learning about game theory, mechanics, and UI design, you will have the opportunity to develop and fabricate your fully functional games. Whether it’s a pinball machine powered by pulleys or a pedal-operated claw game, every project will reflect its inventor’s unique concept. The camp will culminate in a celebratory Arcade Showcase, where students will set up their creations and invite friends and families to play, test, and enjoy the games they’ve designed.