September 21 marked the opening of the 2013 Maker Faire and the annual renewal of the tinkering spirit that goes along with it. Every year since 2006, hundreds of like-minded individuals have flocked to locations all over the world – Tokyo, Rome, San Francisco, NYC – to take part in the worldwide maker movement. And it keeps growing.
Described as “The Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth,” the Maker Faire is a celebration of fun and awe-inspiring aspects of science. Engineers, chemists, authors, artists, and hobbyists alike share their creations with the onlookers, inspiring many to take part in the making. Many of the presenters at these fairs are amateurs, and there are quite a few activities for people of all ages. All makers, regardless of experience, are welcomed into this thriving DIY community.
Arduino boards and 3D printers sprinkle the faire grounds, and unusual food trucks line the major walkways. Main attractions, like the Life-Sized Mousetrap Game and the giant metal hands controlled by one’s own movements, may draw in the most faire-goers but little presentations, like a video game guided by pen and paper, or a minivan filled with botany, often are the most intuitive and charming. Almost every booth gives away free samples, from food to toys, and there are many hands-on crafts to take part in.
The Faire is also an ideal place to lecture or instruct. Classes on subjects like lock picking, programming, and soft circuitry run throughout the two-day event. It’s absolutely free to present or set up a booth, the only charge occurring if you decide to sell merchandise on the fairgrounds. The exploits of these makers are often detailed in MAKE: Magazine, a monthly magazine that helped form the Maker Movement. Since its initial publishing in 2005, MAKE has grown tremendously. 165,000 people attended the 2012 Bay Area Maker Faire, and about 60% of the 2012 NYC Faire attendees were newcomers. People all over the world are having fun with science, and even major corporations like Google are joining the fray. So what can you expect to see at next year’s Maker Faire? The list from makerfaire.com sums it up pretty well:
Here are just some of the topics that we’re looking for:
- Student projects
- Robotics
- Arduino projects
- Raspberry Pi
- Space projects
- Food makers
- Conductive materials projects
- Kit makers
- Interactive art projects
- 3D Printers and CNC Mills
- Textile Arts and Crafts
- Home Energy Monitoring
- Rockets and RC Toys
- Sustainability
- Green Tech
- Radios, Vintage Computers and Game Systems
- Electronics
- Electric Vehicles
- Biology/Biotech and Chemistry projects
- Puppets
- Kites
- Bicycles
- Shelter (Tents, Domes, etc.)
- Music Performances and Participation
- Unusual Tools or Machines
- How to Fix Things or Take them Apart (Vacuums, Clocks, Washing Machines, etc.)
Hope to see you there!
