Motorized Papercraft Animals

Gears. Motors. Circuitry. Arduino. Paper clips. Papercraft.

I loved the way that one educator and his students combined all of these facets into an accessible example that other people might replicate. It’s not fancy or feature-laden, but it is inspirational for budding makers.

Mobile VR Box

I met a teenager who was showing attendees his virtual reality (VR) viewing box for mobile devices. Made out of cardboard and mirrors, he claimed that it would work on any phone regardless of brand or model. It was an interesting feat of ingenuity and DIY spirit, but I wish he had willingly shared the instructions and blueprints for constructing my own.

I guess I will have to turn to Instructables if/when I have time to make one myself.

• Instructables: Make Your Own VR Glasses

PancakeBot

The PancakeBot made my Top 25 list because it was hard to enter the main hall of the NYSCI Museum without thinking that you were at an IHOP.

Yet, if you have seen one 3D printer, you have seen them all even if the medium is batter and not melted plastic.

• Website: Kickstarter

Arckit

More complex than any LEGO set but similar in terms of conception, Arckit allows budding architects to build the home of their dreams with snap-together pieces. There are “finishing” textures that can be added to any creation, and physical models can be mocked up with a 3D computer software program called Arckit Digital.

The only problem: Each set is rather expensive.

• Website: http://arckit.com/
• Purchase: http://arckit.com/buy/

The Robot Resurrection

I believe that The Robot Resurrection installation is a Maker Faire regular.  At least that is what someone who went to the Bay Area gathering told me. Regardless, it’s really neat to see a two-story, metal robot shoot flames from its hands.

If you look closely, you will see the human operator sitting where the robot’s heart is located.

Celestial Mechanics

Celestial Mechanics is a part of the NYSCI Museum’s regular exhibition. The circling balls that drop down a concave surface demonstrate gravity and planetary orbit. It’s also a more polished version of a DIY model that Dan Burns brings to schools across the US.

Since this post is about making, check out how Dan made a more flexible representation using stretched spandex, marbles, and weights.

The Extraordinaires Design Studio

Art + Creative Inspiration + Design Thinking = The Extraordinaires. Part game and part mental exercise, The Extraordinaires tasks players with developing wacky objects for even wackier characters through design scenarios and tasks. The catch is that every design must account for the character’s needs and environment.

The Extraordinaires appears to be both fun and educational! I plan on purchasing a small version once I have disposable income.

• Website: https://www.extraordinaires.com/
• Purchase: http://amzn.to/1KSvv3W

FlipBooKit

FlipBooKit is a mechanical flipbook that operates by turning a crank on a pre-fabricated cardboard box. You build the enclosure and the machinery and, when completed, insert a series of cards that serve as a short filmstrip (i.e., a pre-computer version of a .gif animation).

The makers of FlipBooKit provide a blank template or a number of pre-made animations that include Minions, a Lady and the Tramp scene, and more. There’s even a motor that can be attached if automation or basic engineering is important.

• Website: http://flipbookit.com/
• Purchase: http://www.flipbookit.bigcartel.com/

Drone Battles

In Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Tina Turner welcomed throngs of voyeurs when she said, “Welcome to Thunderdome!” At Maker Faire, drone battle contestants were introduced by a funny-looking man with a southern accent.

Despite this difference, what transpired was eerily similar to the classic film. Two pilots flew RC drones in a 30′ x 30′ x 30′ net-enclosed arena while attempting to make their opponent’s quadcopter crash into the ground.  Matches were won and lost in a matter of seconds when a drone touched the ground or was rendered immobile.

Aunty Entity from Mad Max could have forecasted the drone battle results: “Two men enter, only one leaves.”

Girih: An Infinitely Puzzling Pattern Challenge

Girih is a puzzle for large metal surfaces like whiteboards and refrigerators. How do you play?

A geometric design is displayed on a tablet, and people attempt to replicate the pattern with shaped tiles. It’s like magnetic poetry but for math enthusiasts. Girih might be a great addition to a math class or help pass the time while waiting for dinner.

• Website: http://jennafrye.com/girih
• Girih Tiles
• Girih Puzzle Booklet
• Girih Solutions (for cheaters)

Trash Can Air Cannon

The simplicity of a trash can air cannon is what makes it so cool in my opinion. Just cut a circular hole in the bottom of a trash can, trim a medium weight shower curtain, attach the curtain to the can with a bungee cord, and that’s it!

Fill it with some smoke and bang away to create smoke rings that rival a rat packer smoking a cigar. This would be a “go to” if I taught science on a regular basis.

Velvet Darth Vadar

There were plenty of rolling R2-D2 robots at Maker Faire but only one giant velvet painting of Darth Vadar. The artist who was making this Star Wars masterpiece walked around the canvas in scrub booties while dabbing pigment with a giant brush.

The unfinished project was approximately 6′ x 10′ or large enough to block out any corner vendor selling velvet paintings of dogs playing poker. It was pretty impressive.

Note: I don’t know if the canvas was velvet. I’m hoping it was.

Drone Races

The fast-paced, breakneck speed of a drone race was a new sporting event for me.

Enclosed within a netted cage approximately 50 yards long and 25′ high, two pilots steered their quadcopters through a maze of obstacles and gates in a figure eight track. The drone operators stood at one end of the arena and maneuvered their mini-speeders at over 40 MPH using only a VR heads-up display to complete three laps.

Crashes happened and tears were shed.

MakerEd.org

I follow @MakerEdOrg on Twitter, but I have never taken the time to explore this organization’s online offerings. At Maker Faire, I learned that they provide a number of resources like tips for beginning a makerspace, a white paper justifying their existence, and a list of tools and materials.

Check out what MakerEd.org has to offer!

• Website: http://makered.org/
• Twitter: @MakerEdOrg
• MakerEd Corps: An online PD opportunity that provides participants with online training and support to create hands-on and community-specific making programming. Application Deadline: January 2016

The Lumiphonic Creature Choir

If the Talking Heads embraced the maker ethos, then the band would have likely made The Lumiphonic Creature Choir. No explanation would properly convey this musical art installation. Just watch the video.

The Brooklyn Bridge

My work colleagues and I stayed 15 minutes from the Brooklyn Bridge. This was a convenient diversion from the technical aura of Maker Faire, and I walked to the Brooklyn Bridge on a number of occasions.

A group of us joined hundreds of other people on the bridge’s expanse to watch the blood moon on September 27th. However, light pollution and cloud cover prevented me from snapping any good pictures.

TechWillSaveUs: DIY Kits & Digital Tools

TechWillSaveUs makes kits that simplify the process of making cool, digital projects. Prices vary from $25 to $100 depending on whether you want to construct a solar-powered moisture meter or learn how to build a Gameboy-like machine with an Arduino.

• Website: https://www.techwillsaveus.com/
• Twitter: @TechWillSaveUs

Spectrum: An Elegy for Piano

Spectrum is a puzzle-based adventure game designed around the condition of synesthesia, a unique ability in which the five senses overlap (Energize Laboratories, 2015). The game is currently in development.

• Website: http://www.spectrumelegy.com
• Twitter: @EnergizeLabs, @NZGokea

Kamigami

Launching on Kickstarter in the coming months, Kamigami are similar to other sensor-laden robots with two exceptions: They have robot-to-robot communication and are quite fast.

Build a Kamigami, control it with your Bluetooth mobile device, and place it in an open space for tons of fun.

• Website: http://www.kamigamirobots.com/

Ground Zero

Decades passed since my last visit to New York City. Manhattan changed drastically during this period, especially the Financial District.  The twin towers fell, lives were lost, and memorials built.

Seeing ground zero and the reflecting pools was both memorable and haunting. For a city that never sleeps and bustles with noise, the 9/11 memorial site was very quiet and somber.

Mechanical Horse

The mechanical horse sat in a grassy spot near a well-traversed path in the conference compound. Built by a man who was undoubtedly an artist AND an engineer, the horse slowly galloped in a fashion similar to the one in the first moving picture (1878). Amazingly, the gears, chains, and metal “skin” moved in unison.

The Virtual Ecosystem

I never discovered the actual name of the interactive room in the museum hall, so it was known as The Virtual Ecosystem to me. It was quite cool, though.

Inside of The Virtual Ecosystem, giant projectors displayed computerized environments that mimicked habitats. Patrons entered the room and planted virtual seeds or fed responsive fish by waving their hands.

Although it does not appear in the video, you were even able to alter water pathways with giant cushions that then impacted “life” on the other side of the room!

Strawbees Hovercraft

I fell in love with Strawbees, a company that produces kits consisting of straws and connectors for building any creation that one might imagine. What sealed my infatuation?

A Strawbees representative built a remote-controlled hovercraft using off-the-shelf propellors, cardboard, trash bags, and straws. The RC vehicle was extremely fast and it even successfully jumped off a small set of stairs.

Since returning from Maker Faire, I have been on the lookout for a clear Instructables tutorial so that I can replicate what I saw. I want one. Badly.

• Website: http://www.strawbees.com/
• Twitter: @makestrawbees
• Hovercraft Instructable
• Another Strawbees Creation: Motorized Dinosaur

Friends

The best part of Maker Faire was hanging out with new and old friends.