Abstract: Children and adults interested in the visual arts often have trouble mastering basic drawing and painting skills due to a lack of structured instruction. A device composed of gridded drawing and painting apparatus is used to eliminate ongoing frustration that can occur during artistic training. Supporting charts and equipment used to maximize efficiency are also provided. A method to operate the device to its maximum potential is supplied. Procedures to advance a pupil through various stages of development are set forth. Alternate working methods that target the specific needs of various artists and art students are proposed. A routine for identifying optimal results is set forth, along with methods to measure that success. Examples of student artwork verify the logic of a system that ensures positive results.

Abstract: Computer method and apparatus enable customization of lesson plans per student. The invention method and apparatus include a curriculum data store holding a plurality of curriculum records, a student record data store and a processor routine coupled to the student record data store and the curriculum data store. Each curriculum record indicates a respective teaching activity and implementation details of the activity as part of a lesson plan. There are different activities for different domains. The processor routine enables, for a given student, educator-user selection of a curriculum record with its respective activity, as a function of assessed skill level in a subject domain and/or learning profile of the student. The processor routine generates a custom lesson plan, for the given student, that includes the activity of the user-selected curriculum record. The processor routine may suspend or otherwise hold the custom lesson plan pending supervisory review at various times.

Abstract: The invention includes a three dimensional periodic table of the chemical elements and a method of learning about the periodic nature of the elements. Included are several cardboard or paper sheets, each having a plurality of blocks that display information about particular elements. The blocks are arranged in groupings of elements with similar properties, such as the transition Earth metals. Students follow a set of instructions provided with the sheets to cut out the groups, fold along particular lines, and affix tabs together to assemble several three dimensional forms. The students then place the forms on a planar map that indicates where to place each form and indicates how to follow the periods of elements between the forms.

Abstract: A material processing method has a process of reading image data of a material. The material has answer fields and information items on points distributed to the answer fields. The method also has extracting the distributed point information items based on the image data, associating the distributed point information items with answer fields to recognize the points distributed to each answer field, storing a result recognized the points distributed to each answer field as answer/distributed point correspondence information, recognizing correct/incorrect answer determining contents from the image data, and performing point totaling on the correct/incorrect answer determining contents based on the answer/distributed point correspondence information.

Abstract: A material processing apparatus includes: a reading unit configured to obtain image data from material; a correct/incorrect determination recognizing unit that extracts entry contents of correct/incorrect determinations for answers to the answer fields from the image data; a distributed point information extracting unit that extracts the distributed point information from the image data; a distributed point acquiring unit that correlates extraction results by the correct/incorrect determination recognizing unit and the distributed point information extracting unit; and a point totaling unit that totals points on the correct/incorrect determinations entered into the material according to the extraction results by the correct/incorrect determination recognizing unit and the distributed point information extracting unit, and the result of the correlation.

Abstract: A simulated sharp edged weapon or toy comprising a housing, an element mounted in and extending from said housing arranged such that said element has movement in relation to said housing in response to force upon said element, an electrical circuit mounted in said housing for providing an indication upon activation having a movement sensor actuator mounted in cooperation with said element to turn on at least one indicating device providing indication of movement of said element.

Abstract: A multiple degree-of-freedom motion simulator assembly comprises a fixed base, a displaceable simulator platform, and a plurality of linear actuators having upper ends thereof interconnected with the platform and lower ends thereof interconnected with the fixed base. A vibration damping unit is disposed between at least one of each of the upper ends and the platform and each of the lower ends and the fixed base. The damping units include at least a first resilient member preloaded and mounted to a major surface of a plate of the damping unit engaged to one of the ends of the linear actuator. The first resilient member provides vibration absorption such as to damp vibrations transmitted from the plate to the platform or base in at least a direction substantially perpendicular to the major surface.