World Maker Faire: The Evolution of Making

As I walked through the World Maker Faire in Queens, New York, this past weekend, I was struck by how the maker movement seems to be evolving. In past years, 3D printing and drones took center stage at the event; this year, although there were still a variety of 3D printers and related techniques on display, as well as a few drones, they weren't nearly as ubiquitous. Instead, a more diverse group of makers presented a little of everything, from robotics, which seemed as big as ever, to items and ideas that reflected a new emphasis on space and sustainability. Of course, there was the usual selection of unusual projects, which help give the Maker Faire its unique personality.

Dale Dougherty (above), who founded the Faire and Maker Media, said the goal of the Faire is to "make more makers" and promote "maker culture" as opposed to consumer culture. "I want people to have this in school, like math," he said.

While the show seemed somewhat less crowded than in past years, it's likely about 80,000 attended over the weekend, which is similar to previous years, Dougherty said (this including 600 exhibitors, presenters, and other makers). This was the eighth annual Maker Faire in Queens; nine years later, the concept has grown from a single event in San Mateo, California, to 212 Faires in 44 countries.

Dougherty said the organizers don't consciously search for a theme for each year's show; it depends on which makers apply to present. He too observed how the Faire has evolved, and mentioned the sustainability area and a tiny homes section, more cosplay vendors, and even a fashion show.

Here are some of the things that caught my eye:

Perhaps the most visible new demonstration was the so-called "Hand of God," essentially a very large robotic hand that users could control by wearing a special glove. As you moved your hand, the robotic hand moved as well. Mostly, this led to kids picking up and dropping junk cars. It really worked as a robotics demonstration, and was a lot of fun.

Another section included a number of exhibits featuring space experiments. This area featured organizations that participate in Space Station Explorers, a program designed to interest students in science by designing experiments that will be performed on the International Space Station. These projects are part of CASIS, the Center for Advancement of Science in Space, and the people who ran the booth explained that more than 2 million kids have gone through such programs.

Zero Robotics, which produced one of these programs, runs competitions for middle and high schoolers, and I was impressed by the dedication of the teachers and organizers.

A big area was devoted to sustainability, where there were a number of "tiny houses" of various kinds, including one that featured a school bus which had been converted into a tiny apartment, called "Apt 84."

One project I was particularly impressed by involved using water bottles to build temporary housing to help in emergency situations, such as storm recovery. Since lots of water needs to be sent to areas recovering from storms and other natural disasters, the idea is to convert plastic water bottles, which often end up as waste, into something useful after the water is consumed. This ultimately means reshaping the bottles so that they can interconnect and be easily assembled into larger shapes that can be turned into shelter.

This idea has been around for a while, but according to Tim Carlson of Friendship Products, the Friendship Bottles weren't produced until last November. Since then, the civil and environmental engineering and architecture departments at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been testing them, looking at how strong they are, and how they might protect people from hot and cold temperatures. One new idea is to use the water bottles as filling within concrete blocks for more permanent structures. It's a very interesting concept.

A lot of the displays included products designed for makers, either for producing real products or for teaching basic skills.

Joebotics reuses the tablets that most schools have to teach students both hardware and software. Using a screen protector and a USB connector, you attach BadgerBoard, a small electronics breadboard, to the tablet, and then follow instructions on the screen to build electronics. You can then use Blockly for programming the hardware.

MakerHart had an interesting platform for connecting various devices to create musical instruments.

Wazer had a $7500 desktop waterjet that uses abrasives within water to cut flat surfaces. This works with harder materials – such as steel, aluminum, and stone – and is designed for schools and maker spaces.

I'm interested in the concept of combining a hologram with voice recognition to get an animated personal assistant. Sidekicks Co. has such an assistant, with a bit of an attitude, which uses its own voice recognition and natural language processing; while it's still a work in progress, it was interesting to see.

Some projects are just for fun, and Tetsuji Katsuda has designed what he called Robot Band ++ with a total of 5 robots, measuring from 40 to 80cm.

CityTech Hackers, a local robotics club, presented a variety of projects, including this Robo Queen.

The "I Lug NY" Lego users group showed off its Great Ball Contraption, which involved different users who had made multiple Lego modules, which all interconnected and moved balls around and around in a Rube Goldberg fashion.

There were lots of radio-controlled robotics, including a giant radio-controlled chicken.

There were also a number of larger, more visible projects.

Dungeon Studios has made a giant Skee-Ball machine where you could try to roll 10-pound bowling balls up the ramp and into the holes, in what they called SkeeBowling. It's harder than it looks.

Tapigami created a city replica made out of tape in the rotunda of the Hall of Science in Queens.

There were also some traditional demonstrations, such as a large Google-sponsored area where kids could learn how to solder; while the maker movement may continue to evolve, some skills seem eternal. I noted that the Hall of Science Amateur Radio Club was demoing ham radio, and another group had a demo on how to build a kite out of paper and wire. Every year, I see children for whom these are cool new projects to make.