In the Pitch Your Prototype challenge, teams and individuals representing a broad swath of the Maker scene submitted prototype devices they had designed and constructed, with the goal of taking home the grand prize, being featured at MakerCon New York and possibly pursuing commercial production. The challenge was a collaboration between Make: and Cornell University.
Finalists in the challenge, which were selected by a panel of experts and online voting, include Mechanek, GrowBox, the Transforming Wheel Robot, Null Space VR and the Elemental Building Unit.
The winning project will be announced at MakerCon New York on Thursday, September 24. Here’s a roundup of the five finalists:
The Transforming Wheel Robot demonstrates a locomotion system designed to help robots navigate both smooth and rough terrain. The wheel can roll in both an open and closed position, and switches between the two without lifting the robot’s weight.
Null Space VR is a suit that provides haptic feedback to virtual reality gamers — or, in other words, to “feel” the boundaries of in-game objects. The suit employs 30 separate feedback zones across the body.
GrowBox is a computerized system that provides plants with water, nutrients and light. A camera processes images of the plant to determine its needs, which the machine addresses using hydroponics, lights, and nutrient reservoirs.
Mechanek uses active restraints to create a helmet that can withstand the intense forces of a crash. At the same time, its builders say, it minimizes slack so that there’s little restriction in head movement.
The Elemental Building Unit is a small-footprint, hackable fabrication kit that can support a mill, 3D printer, laser engraver or drag knife. The 22lb frame is meant as a flexible platform that can support a great range of common Maker technologies.
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