Meet Robots That Dance, Make Pancakes, Host Shows, Knit, and Breathe Fire

Robotics
Meet Robots That Dance, Make Pancakes, Host Shows, Knit, and Breathe Fire

pakas horse michael eyes

The 4th annual Maker Faire UK, the largest gathering of makers in Europe, is coming right up on April 27 and 28 at the Centre for Life in Newcastle. Among the diverse and interesting makers in the lineup are robots of all persuasions. Pictured above is Paka and his fire horse (photo by Michael Eyes). Word on the street is that Paka is also bringing his magical dragon this year. Here are some other bots you can expect to meet at Maker Faire UK this year.

roboknit at maker faire uk

Andy Noyes’ ever-crafty Roboknit is a life-sized humanoid knitting robot who uses a knitting loom to knit hats, scarves, and other items. She took a year to build and is made from commonly available parts including electric motors recycled from printers and CD drives.

giles walker peepshow

A member of the guerilla art group The Mutoid Waste Company, artist Giles Walker created these two robotic pole dancers and a DJ for his piece titled Peepshow. The dancers’ CCTV heads help convey the artist’s message, ” We are all living in a peepshow now, constantly watched by these mechanical peeping Toms on every street corner.”

robojase

Jason Bradbury, the host of Channel 5’s The Gadget Show will be there in robotic form, as RoboJase, made by Robo Challenge, who will also be hosting an “arrive and drive” arena, where you can take control of their mini robots and wage mechanical war with friends and family.

lego pancake bot

Norway-based maker Miguel Valenzuela‘s adorable daughters Lily and Maia inspired him to make the Lego Pancake Bot, changing breakfast time in their household forever. Last year, Miguel made the trek to bring his Pancake Bot to Maker Faire New York (read our interview) and this year it’ll be at Maker Faire UK. The Pancake Bot has been used in an after-school programs in Norway to teach kids about building with LEGO and programming.

MFUK learn to solder

Are you a UK maker who wants to spread the joy of making and lend a hand? Maker Faire UK is currently looking for volunteers, or as they put it: “solderers, paint-splatterers, and smilers needed.” Head to the site to learn more and apply. The deadline for applications is April 13.

3 thoughts on “Meet Robots That Dance, Make Pancakes, Host Shows, Knit, and Breathe Fire

  1. Margaret Sullivan says:

    Thanks! Keep up the good work.

  2. HumanoidMe says:

    Can someone teach me where I can meet Roboknit? I need to ask her to fix one of my superhero skin?

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I'm a word nerd who loves to geek out on how emerging technology affects the lexicon. I was an editor on the first 40 volumes of MAKE, and I love shining light on the incredible makers in our community. In particular, covering art is my passion — after all, art is the first thing most of us ever made. When not fawning over perfect word choices, I can be found on the nearest mountain, looking for untouched powder fields and ideal alpine lakes.

Contact me at snowgoli@gmail.com or via @snowgoli.

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