Rhode Island Mini Maker Faire Celebrates State’s Innovation Heritage

Wayne Losey, chief creative at Modio, a toy startup that lets kids design and customize their own toys, is standing under a tent, next to a sprawling collection of toy parts on a large circular table.  A gaggle of kids are assembling the parts in novel ways, showing their new creations to their parents.

A half a block away looms a corporate office building occupied by toy giant Hasbro. It’s also surrounded by kids, and parents, and makers: 3D printing personalized toys, flying drones, and checking out a geodesic dome.

We must be in Rhode Island, where a history of manufacturing overlaps with a culture of innovation and tinkering. We must be at Rhode Island Mini Maker Faire.

“It feels like a celebration of the pursuit of curiousity,” Wayne Losey says. “You got all these people, you’ve got Hasbro — Providence has always been a making town.”

Around 50 exhibitors joined Losey at this year’s version of the Faire, held last weekend in three locations in downtown Providence. Although the day started off rainy and windy, it ended up beautiful. There were 3D printers aplenty, of course, but also LED sculptures, pinball machines, robots, sculptures, and more robots.

Co-organizer Shawn Wallace said that the most remarkable thing about this year’s edition was how many repeat exhibitors were showing improved models of projects they had shown in previous years.

“So many things were more and more better,” Wallace said.

To co-organizer Brian Jepson the Faire was, “an awesome salute to Rhode Island’s innovation heritage.”

Jepson is referring, of course, to Rhode Island’s distinction as the place where the American Industrial Revolution began, when Samuel Slater snuck out of Great Britain in disguise in 1789. He needed the disguise because you weren’t allowed to leave there if you knew how to spark an industrial revolution. He arrived in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and made machines.

Rhode Island was also where sewing machine inventor George Henry Corliss came in 1844. He turned his talents to improvements in steam engine technology, and made a steam engine so efficient that European manufacturers produced knockoffs, even affixing Corliss’ name to their counterfeits.

Visitors to this year’s Faire had 50 reasons to believe that RI’s invention heritage continues. Check out the photo gallery for a representative sample.

Alex and Hannah of Looking Glass Factory amaze attendees with their LED cubes

Newport, Rhode Island-based The FlatWorks showcased this “Plyfly Roadster” cut from sheets of plywood.

The Learn to Solder booth was full all day with people – of all ages – learning to solder!

Jeff Del Papa (Decisions Decisions) and Baylor Knobloch of the Brown Daily Herald

FabNewport‘s carnivorous fish bike frame was very fun.

AS220’s main stage was packed with makers.

3D Printing Providence had a full and busy booth.

Ted McAuliffe uses “electric motor innards” to fabricate these ‘woven’ (not welded) lamp enclosures.

Sok Song created an origami mural of Makey

Wayne Losey of Modio always had a full tent

The how-to documentation of David Gaskill’s always-enjoyable “Pinventions.”

A close-up of the pinball’s mechanisms, upgraded with Arduino.

Hasbro talk with attendees about their line of robotic toys. Here the Furby is explained.

Detail shot of the insides of one of Hasbro’s more complex robot toys. Wow!

Peruvian artist and maker Aymar Ccopacatty makes tapestry and sculpture from colorful plastic bags.

This project combined 3D printed parts and a suitable 2W 440nm laser diode to produce beautiful laser etchings. The makers gave us a hint, “Look for it soon on Kickstarter.”