What ’s one part country fair , one part artistic production fete , a side of Burning Man and an educational , geek - filled playfulness - fest ? Maker Faire , of course . We went to theBay Area Maker Fairethis retiring weekend , and overdosed on creative , inspiring DiY applied science . Here ’s what we interpret .
Want to spend an good afternoon ogling mind - blowingly immense , fire - suspire robotlike sculptures ? Maker Faire ’s puzzle that .
Robot Resurrection has appeared at multiple Maker Faires — it ’s a 30 - foot marvelous pneumatic robot built almost entirely out of reprocess metal and plane parts . It ’s a massive art project create with Burning Man in judgment . It moves . It lights on fire . It ’s amazing , but it ’s not the only fire ventilation carving you ’ll find at the Faire .
metallic element sculptor Todd Cox ’s Praying With Fire stands proudly , arms raised , in the middle of Maker Faire ’s outside area — cat interminable feather of fire into the air .
Too stationary for your liking ? Fine . How about gargantuan walking robots :
Scott Parenteau ’s “ Walking Pod ” is a walking geodesic bean . A twelve - legged , solar powered robot . Its 0.2 MPH top f number wo n’t outpace the average mortal , but its slow crawl is hauntingly beautiful .
See that gadget up there ? That ’s aMegaBot — a functional , weaponized mech that debut at Bay Area Maker Faire 2015 . It takes two buffer to maneuver and is design to ruin … in a controlled , amusement - focused environment , of course of action . At the Faire , it had one mission : blow the shit out of an unsuspicious car .
It ’s an unbelievable feat of engineering and MechWarrior dream fulfilment — but the best part is that it ’s only a image . The squad that built the MegaBot are work on two - legged models that can remain firm and balance on their own . The end goal ? An intact fleet of human - drive mechs locked in scrap in your local arena . This isthe future of mutation , multitude .
Speaking of play … This may seem like a calm , peaceful place to voyage your radio - moderate sauceboat , but it ’s not . This is a watery field of battle :
Make Faire ’s Battlepond is the nursing home of hobbyist who spend months painstakingly building replica WWII battleships only to demolish them for the entertainment of the attending world .
Not only are these ship pretty elaborate , they ’re also all armed with ball - stomach cannon . Awesome — and a little severe . You have to sign a liability waiver and father safety googles before you’re able to record the arena .
You did n’t think that giant fervour external respiration robot was the only super - sized artistic creation opus to state of grace Maker Faire , did you ? Of course not : the event ’s outdoor plaza is litter with enceinte , creative works of art .
Celestia Mechanica is an enormous , Kickstarter - backedKinetic sculpture of our solar organization with a flaming - licked furnace representing our sun . you’re able to learn a refreshment of the celestial ballet while you warm up .
Did I note that a lot of the nontextual matter is ridable ? Because it is . The above part , call Rhino Redemption , is a reborn ‘ 74 Chevy pickup hand truck that fool away flames out of its principal horn .
Not quite a landsman , but do n’t have ocean legs ? insure out the Nautilus Submarine Art Car , terminated with a digital periscope and roof - mounted harpoon guns .
There ’s scads of interactional art at Maker Faire too , including :
A human powered , spinning swing set …
A miniature , pedal - powered ferris wheel …
… and even live music on a pedal - powered stage :
Make Faire is way more than a technology - focused prowess festival : it ’s also a breeding ground for new ideas and armature implementations of new technology trends . Okay , that Delorean Time Machine may not be futurist these days ( or even all that movie precise ) it represents our dream to move forrad . Besides , this awing homemade electrical fomite was parked right behind it :
Yes , it ’s exactly what it expect like — some crazy bastard crammed an electric motor into an old Miata . Patrick Makey spend almost $ 14,000 converting this 1992 Miata into a modern electric vehicle .
The batteries in its trunk monetary value Makey $ 7,000 on their own — but the conversion still cost him less than buying an electrical railroad car raw . It ’s a fine example of the passion Makers have : if you ca n’t give to buy the technology you want to hinge upon into the hereafter , work up it yourself .
Ever thought you might want a Keurig automobile , but for miscellaneous drinks ? Someone’smaking it .
banal of opening and closing your air vent ? Someday , they could be controlled by your phone .
Itching to see out that cool thing yousaw on Kickstarter ? If you proceed to a Maker Faire , you might have been capable to .
Marvel at place - made , laser - cut wooden automaton , like Roy .
straight off run away in threat .
… and then link up aHomeBrew Robotics Cluband learn to make your own amazing , hopefully less creepy automatons .
Or sit back , relax , and take in anareal drone battleor two :
Or you’re able to visit the past times .
Maker Faire is also a museum for the technology that bring in us to today . Remember floppy disks ? These guy cable do . Maker Faire can be the odd chance to reconnect with your rest home computing past …
The Maker Faire Expo is litter with old hardware . Some , likeEvan Custodio’sFPGA - attend SNES digital graphic renderer re - purpose old dearie , while others , like Briel Computers , grant you to recreate classical PC from unexampled parts . Ca n’t get your hands on an original , 1976 Apple 1 ? Build afully operable replication , alternatively .
At Maker Faire , kids learn to solder and prototype their own homemade electrical plaything .
They can geek out at Minecraft summertime cantonment and build massive in game structures …
… or use the biz as a political program to instruct them to build their ownRasberry Pi - found gaming hardware .
Kids can participate inRube Goldberg speed building contests , gainsay them to cogitate fast to build up an advisedly over - complicated balloon popping political machine .
There are compressed - air Eruca sativa building workshops .
Larger - than - lifeBop - It games !
Giant Lego Kermit sculptures !
FREE SAFETY GOOGLES . What ’s not to like ?
If you are n’t convinced , there ’s no Leslie Townes Hope for you . Maker Faire is one of the cool local events you take your family to . It ’s a blast to go on your own , with friends and particularly with children . There may only be few flagship Faires a year , but little , local event can be foundall over the world . Check one out . You wo n’t repent it .
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