Evan Brand tipped us this summer that he’d be traveling to Japan and Korea this fall, and visiting Maker Faires in both countries, and would we like him to report for Make:? Of course we would! Here’s Evan’s dispatch from Maker Faire Seoul, September 27-28, and Maker Faire Tokyo, October 4-5. (For more coverage of the Tokyo event, see Make Books editor Kevin Toyama’s report here.)
Maker Faire Seoul 2025
This past week I had the opportunity to check out Maker Faire Seoul. Hosted at the Seoul Science Centre, this event showed off a large variety of makers and projects. Though I couldn’t cover everything, I have noted a selection of the fantastic exhibits below.
WHEELY-X by Kangsters
A video gaming and workout device using a wheelchair for its controller. By varying the speed and intensity of spinning each wheel, you are able to control different aspects of each game. The treadmill setup has an accompanying app that can track fitness and give feedback regarding each game or workout! Really cool device with a fun demo to explain the technology.
Interactive Gunpla by Side B Lab
These Bandai Gunpla (Gundam Plastic models) are modified by Ji Hyun Ko, adding lights and control circuitry. The variety of projects light up or can be moved via controllers and different sensors around the models, turning normally inanimate models into interactive experiences closer to their inspiration, the giant robots of the Gundam franchise.
AR Origami by Picker Studio
This booth displayed different books of origami bugs with an accompanying app. When built, the AR app would animate the different bugs and bring a person’s creation to life!
Unimat by The Cool Tool
This was an all-in-one desktop woodworking tool that allowed for a variety of different configurations to transform it for different uses. Similar to a desktop version of a Shopsmith, the tool was being demoed as a wood lathe by allowing folks to turn their own pen blanks at the event!
Lighting Round! The folks behind YouTube channel Geekble had several projects of note, some of which are listed below:
— MacroController
This large scale 3D print of an ESP32-powered microcontroller that was also designed by the group shows off the design in full 3D printed glory.
— Electric Guitar Bike
This bicycle turns into a fully playable instrument, which was created for the band QWER and presented to them at the Pentaport Rock Festival. When the switch is flipped a pneumatic actuator extends the guitar neck out, primed to play.
— Meat Slapping Machine
Exactly what it sounds like.
3D Printed GLaDOS by Blackout.Retech
This 3D printed bot, a character in the Portal video game series, was printed in parts on a Bambu Lab P1 S. Somehow the entire thing was built in the month leading up to the event. Aperture Science would trip over themselves for that type of engineering skill!
Vacuum Light by 유리공방 기미기
A bottle pushed under vacuum to cast dazzling displays of light. Each pedal pressed at the base of the project causes plasma to arc to different points in the bottle.
Electronics Demo by {w_b} 더블유엔비
Badges! Different badges and electronics projects powered by ESP32-C3 boards. A variety of demos were on display from boards showing the weather to small lamps to sit on your desk.
Maker Faire Tokyo 2025
Heading to the Tokyo Big Sight Expo Center, I had a chance to explore and talk with many of the makers at this year’s Maker Faire Tokyo. Below is a small selection of the many groups and projects at this year’s event:
This collective wanted to make weighing crops easier and so created an open source scale for agriculture. The scales read off a settable table, being able to categorize objects based on weight. It then saves the data to a spreadsheet so the user can keep track of stock!
Memory Game by Makerspace KM1
This clever test of skills takes the form of a memory card game that works using RFID stickers. Match the correct cards together and the holder lights up green!
Miniature Concert by Robotics Technology Study Group
This love letter to idol concerts reproduces the magic in miniature. Built from laser-cut acrylic and around 100 servos, LED wands move in sync with the musical performance based on a custom-made movement model. The build also includes a train to move the singers between the crowd to complete the feel of the show.
Bots by Miseclinic
Looking down I happened to spot these Strandbeest-inspired robots. With builds that can be created out of mainly chopsticks, these bots are great to introduce robotics and kinematics to someone looking to jump into making.
Wearable Keyboard by Generative Idea Flow
Always a fan of wearables, I spotted this keyboard sewn into an apron using conductive thread. A microcontroller processes the inputs and sends the information wirelessly to a paired device. A brilliant way to thread the needle between wearables and electronics; bravo!
For anyone looking to build big, but unsure what they can do with their machines at home, this 8-foot-tall mech from Brave was largely 3D printed. The controls on the side of the display allow passersby to move the robot in real time!
These extremely tiny electric bicycles are actually rideable! Balance is tricky, but there is an impressive amount of torque behind the motors. Just don’t kick up any rocks!
This costume is made out of corrugated plastic sheet and zip ties. Outside of the large costume, the team worked to teach kids how to make smaller versions of the dino for themselves!
Joshibi Robot Research and Development
A pleasant departure from the hyper-optimized project sphere, this group aims to bring the fun back into robotics. Coming at the problem from the design angle instead of engineering, these makers are trying to make friendlier and emotion driven bots.
This articulated robot caught my attention dancing around the exhibit booth. Using spherical wheels it moved in all directions, bobbing up and down as it went.
Following the sound of bells I came across a small band or bots playing music. The songs varied over the course of the event but always lent a cheery tune as folks walked around!
This 3D printer can adjust its build plate to allow for printing at different angles. The group also created the software necessary to slice the 3D models to run on such a machine.
You know it’s a Maker Faire when someone turns a household object into a car. This heated table is ready for the road. Not only is it drivable but it is actually street legal and registered, classified as an e-scooter.
A fun use to show off pneumatics. Each button press actuates the physical logic gates to perform addition., forming a mechanical computer!
It can’t be a Maker Faire without a hidden robot wandering around. When it feels the need for some new scenery, this hermit crab bot flips up its cone and walks about.
A truly impressive show of patience. Combining the attention-to-detail of model shipbuilding and the intricacies of electronics, the project is a testament to persistence. Every circuit at the booth was assembled by hand in the bottles and are fully functional.
An amazing wheelchair add on. The pieces of this project attach onto an existing wheelchair and turn it into an electric powered device. The device is still a prototype but from the demo was extremely easy to operate and pick up.
For those looking into subtractive manufacturing, this EDM device can cleanly cut into metal parts. It uses a geared motor to get some extremely precise cuts.
Against all odds, my expectations were blown away by a particle accelerator in miniature on display. The build was completed by a high-school club, with other high schools building them and planning to compete to see which one has the best build!
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