Maker Faire European Edition, the largest Maker Faire in Europe, will be happening again this year in Rome. Check out last year’s coverage for an idea of just how large this event is! While there are many local makers in attendance, an event this size pulls talented individuals from all over the planet. Lets take a sneak peek at some of the globe trotting makers that will be in attendence at Maker Faire Rome, along with the summaries that they supplied when they submitted to the call for makers.
Vienna, Austria
Wunderwuzzi Robots
The Wunderwuzzi robots from Vienna, Austria provide an easy introduction to the exciting world of robotics for children and adolescents. Anyone can build their own little robot on the stand and take it home with them. With a small fee everyone can particitpate in so-called drop-in workshops you and sit down as soon as a place has become vacant.
The toothbrush robots specially developed for primary school children can be assembled without additional tools. This is made possible by the 3D printed housing, which works like a plug-in system. For the assembly no special previous knowledge is necessary.
The robots belong to the family of so-called vibrobots: a small vibration motor sets the robot in motion. As soon as a button-type battery is inserted into the 3D-printed housing, the robot flies over smooth surfaces, skilfully bypassing any obstacle.
Florida, USA
3D Museum of Cultural Heritage
We have developed a teaching methodology in photogrammetry through Institutional Assets and Monuments, in alliance with The Arc/k Project, a nonprofit organization specialized in digitally preserve cultural heritage.
Over 50 trained volunteers in a half dozen Venezuelan cities are actively photographing objects of cultural significance every day. We have been generating 5-10 full 2-D and 3-D archives per week. Over 200 objects and structures from the 5 participating cultural institutions, and now the 50+ volunteers, is slowly becoming a massive 3D library.
We have produced 3D models of artworks at the University City of Caracas, world heritage by Unesco. This campus is considered a ‘Masterpiece ‘of architecture and urban planning, because of the integration of arts and architecture on a grand scale.
We are now working on the production of a 3D Museum of Cultural Heritage with the 3D archives produced.
London, UK
Avye Couloute
Avye is a 10-year-old coder. She started coding at 7. Most Saturdays she either attends a code group or is busy leading a Micro:bit workshop for Coder Dojo at Kingston University. Last November, she won the ‘best working device’ for the Micro:bit 1st Birthday Challenge & her robot was exhibited at the Bett Show in January. In February, she was selected to be part of 12 young coders for a Young Coders Conference at the Tate Modern – where she collaboratively developed & delivered workshops to the public. Avye wants to become a visible a role model for young people in general, particularly for girls. She wants to inspire more girls to get into coding and to encourage more girl involvement in tech. This April, she led a workshop at the Coder Dojo Girls only event at the Institute of Imagination. At the end of April Avye won the hardware category at the Coolest Project UK with her voice command robot – Voice O’ tronik Bot. She is motivated to create other opportunities to encourage more girl participation in tech. She recently reached her crowdfunding campaign target to fund a Girls Into Coding event that she has planned for July 8th 2018. The event is free, delivering three exciting workshops, where the girls will be able to explore coding and physical computing using the Raspberry Pi & the BBC Micro:bit (tiny computers). The event has already been over-subscribed & she is already brainstorming ideas for a follow-up event.
The Voice O’Tronik is a robot that responds to voice command, It was programmed on a Raspberry Pi 3 using Google Cloud Speech API and Python language, to carry out 4 different actions – “roll eyes”, “open mouth”, “move arms” & ” wave arms”. I was inspired by the Google AIY Voice Kit & decided to use its voice command ability. In order to give the robot an instruction, you have to hold down a button & speak clearly into a microphone which is attached to its body. The bot would listen to your command, & if it understands you, it will verbally confirm what you have asked it – and then physically carry out the actions. I have mounted a Micro:bit on to one of the bot’s arms – it is coded so that each time the arm moved, the Micro:bit sends a radio signal to another Micro:bit which controls a pair of servos which in turn moves the head & tail of a little animal companion (Tiny Tech).
Tunis, Tunisia
This project is about restitution of the national cultural heritage linked to historical ruins and monuments using digital fabrication and 3D printing technology.
Zurich Switzerland
POVLAMP is an interactive pendant lamp, that is able to create a three-dimensional projection of a virtual lampshade.
Zaragoza, Spain
Eye of Horus is an open source platform to control any device just looking at them. The project (hardware & software) was built from scratch during the Space Apps Zaragoza to solve the Space Wearables challenge. This device could help engineers from NASA and astronauts on their tasks. The system combines eye tracking with a frontal camera to know where you are looking. The target devices are identified using light beacons (similar to LiFi technology) and controlled with wireless protocols.
Quebec, Canada
I present to you the Fibonacci Clock, a clock for nerds with style. Beautiful and fun at the same time, the clock uses the famous Fibonacci sequence to display time in a brand new way. The Fibonacci Clock has been designed for curious and inventive people who like a time piece that keeps them on their toes. The clock comes as a DIY kit or fully assembled. You will find an instruction manual and many other documents on the project website.
Cali, Colombia
Bicyble is a system of signal light adapted to the cyclist’s helmet. It provides safety features that allow the user to be seen and express their intentions. In Latin America bicycles are not only used to commute to and from work, but also to mobilize at work. Bicyble is designed to protect them. Bicyble is a kit that can be installed to the helmet, and it is operated without using a remote control. Smart turn signals are activated based on the user’s head movement. Bicyble is simple, practical and affordable. It makes you visible and understandable day and night.
Kamp-Lindfort, Germany
LaserDuo is an open source laser cutter machine designed and built by Daniele Ingrassia and his team. LaserDuo integrates two different laser sources as key feature, being able to laser cut and engrave a wide range of materials with just one machine. Having available a CO2 and a Yag laser, LaserDuo can work with both soft materials like plastics and wood, but also metal and marble.
With a working area of 1500x1000mm it is easily possible to make pieces of furniture, shop banners, or elements for architectural structures. Thanks to the 500mm of the Z-axis it is also possible to cut and engrave on high objects, such can be a chair, a bench, a frame, a body part from a car etc. LaserDuo can be equipped with different laser sources to match the needs of a customer in terms of price and performance.
Developed and built in a Fab Lab as multipurpose machine, LaserDuo allows to access the laser cutting technology at lower price in comparison to similar machines available on the market. Especially considering the possibility to work with metals. The open source design allows the user to fix the machine by himself, and to be aware of the process in a way that he can use it to reproduce the machine or parts for it. Being a challenging project from several aspects, such as size of the working area, Z-axis, speed, resolution and the dual laser, it also offers additional features like an integrated PC to control the machine and launch jobs, and the opportunity to have a 3D printer nozzle. The 3D printer nozzle can transform LaserDuo in a 3D printer, having 1 cubic meter of printing area.
LaserDuo was developed by having in mind the quality of the components, the solidity of the build and the user safety. It offers a fully metallic frame made out anodized aluminum, safety switches, a double shielded enclosed housing made with 1.5mm aluminium sheets, HiWin linear guides and a certified protective window from LaserVision. All the bodywork and most of the mechanical components are made in Germany. The design allows the user to access specific areas of the machine for maintenance and to replace parts.
This is just a tiny glimpse of what is to come. I’ve seen the lists and there are over 50 makers traveling from other countries to visit this event and show off their projects. If you want an even better feeling for what to expect, check out the exhibitor list from last year.
You will not want to miss this monumental event that is happening the 12-14th of October. Make your plans and get your tickets here.
ADVERTISEMENT
