Among other whimsical items, Xylocopa Design fabricates unique musical instruments, such as this 5 stringed boxy fiddle. These creations were born from Michele’s practice in musical instrument repair and grew into the design of completely new instruments that she demonstrated for delighted visitors at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011.
The Young Makers Program at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011 produced two interesting projects by Alex Jacobson, John Boyer, and Sam Frank. Saphira is an animatronic fire-breathing dragon, and Fire Jam is a visualization device for the Rock Band video game that selectively shoots five jets of flame that correspond to the buttons on the guitar controller.
Paul Freedman throws conscious hip hop concerts by turning alternative transportation into alternative energy. Rock the Bike brings funky beats and sound gear to any venue, then sets up stationary bikes that are converted into electricity generators. Audience members take turns pedaling to generate all the amplification needed for the entire show at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011.
An off-road machine from Boston, the tread skateboard was tearing it up around World Maker Faire New York yesterday. Part snowblower, part battery, this deck can hit 20mph. It was designed, built, and ridden by Charles Guan, a member of The Miters from MIT.
littleBits is a system of electronic parts for play and prototyping. Designed for children, artists, or anyone shy about soldering, littleBits make electronics easy, fun, fast and accessible. Ayah Bdeir talks about her simple and intriguing system of magnetically connected, expandable electronics, which launched this weekend at World Maker Faire NY.
In episode 16 we met makers live from World Maker Faire NY 2011 and announced the winners of the MAKE Magazine Industry Maker Awards. Twelve companies were nominated in four categories on which MAKE readers voted. And the winners are: Most Hackable Gadget – Microsoft Kinect accepted by Stewart Tansley Most Repair Friendly – PanaVise […]
John Schimmel teaches the Assistive Technology class at NYU’s ITP program. The RAMPs project allows a wheelchair-bound DJ to roll up to a stationary set of rollers that are connected to rotary encoders attached to an Arduino. The interpreted data is then sent to a Processing sketch and used to blend or scratch audio tracks in real time. This device was created in 2005 for an individual with cerebral palsy who had a talent for rapping and also needed to hone his wheelchair skills.
