Maker Faire Orlando is coming this weekend! This Faire is rapidly becoming one of the most impressive out there as it grows and expands in many ways.
When they started in 2012 with their first Mini Maker Faire, they had to share a parking lot with a cat show on the same grounds, and now, they’re expecting over 10,000 visitors!
With over 300 makers in attendance to show off incredible works of art, ingenuity, and skill, this should be an even that you do not want to miss.
Aside from the makers exhibiting their projects, the team is very excited to show off their brand new combat robotics arena, which is a piece in the puzzle that has resulted in them being the largest combat robotics competition in southeast US. Not only do they have local groups and individuals (over 100 bots!), they also have a few from the TV Show Battle Bots.
Check out this footage from 2016 to get just a taste of what to expect.
Maker Faire Orlando is brought to you by the Maker Effect Foundation, a charity that supports the maker community with programs for k-12 youth as well as sponsorship of FIRST robotics teams. This organization’s support and the publicity of the Faire have had such a positive impact on the local community.
We’ve noticed a significant uptick in both awareness and opportunity to participate in the Maker Community in Central Florida. New spaces and clubs are popping up in schools and communities. More important than the impact on the greater community, I (Jessica) believe that the most significant impact of Maker Faire Orlando has been to the individual makers. Every year, we hear stories about how the faire has changed an individual’s life for the better. Teams who pull together to learn something new and finish a project before a deadline, makers who overcome public speaking fears in order to share their craft, teenagers who practice drawing for years and finally submit an exhibit proposal because they “finally feel good enough”. We’d love to believe that the faire has changed the landscape of the community, but we know that its changed the lives of our local makers.
You should go check out the entire list of exhibits that will be at this year’s Faire, but just to give you a taste, here are a few that the team is most excited about.
High voltage and music combine in a thrilling show that you’ll remember forever!
Check out these unique and interesting transportation devices by BaumBuilds. Some are crazy and whimsical, some are utilitarian, but they’re all awesome and you can get the plans to make your own.
Here’s a chance to meet Physics Anonymous, who has created a long list of cool projects from high resolution macro photography rigs to propane powered pumpkins. They’ll have a bunch of their projects there for you to check out too.
This bot was born from tragedy but is here to spread love and awareness of LGBTQ issues. Built to honor the victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando, R2-P49 will be there along with pictures and info about the build.
Changing the global perception of diversity
In the Arabic world, the tradition of script and classical geometric art are old and rich. Mehnaz Khan will be sharing these traditions with visual examples, creating works of art and inspiration throughout the weekend.
This high school engineering group has designed a solar powered disaster response robot. Come check it out and talk to the crew to hear more about what lessons they learned.
Act quick, get your tickets now!
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