Set up in 2006, Maker Faire has grown into a seminal event for budding and experienced tinkerers across the U.S. This week marks the latest edition of the World Maker Faire, held at the New York Hall of Science on the 23rd and 24th September 2017.
As a celebration of “arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself mindset,” the event is the perfect forum for highlighting some of the most innovative and unusual projects to come out of the Maker Movement.
This year 127 exhibitors are listed with 3D printing as their interests. As such, we have a preview of some of the things to look out for this weekend.
To kick-off Maker Faire this weekend, Maker Ed is hosting a special event here at the MakerSpace at NYU Tandon. Here is the link to the invitation.
Before enjoying an exciting weekend at the World Maker Faire, join Maker Ed at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering MakerSpace for an exciting opportunity to connect with over 150 maker educators from around the country and learn about how they are bringing 3D printing, laser cutters, CAD, and other computer aided design and crafting technology to the classroom.
Get involved
One of the primary focuses of the fair is to help promote STEAM education and adoption by young people. Many events, including workshops from NYC FIRST, the Brooklyn Robot Foundry and Ocean State Maker Mill, are tailored for this purpose, though there are many more specialist projects both children and adults alike can get stuck into.
3D printing on the catwalk
Print-à-Porter is a project from tech couture design studio Amped Atelier, seeking to promote 3D printing in fashion. At their stand, makers will be showing visitors how they can use a desktop 3D printer to add embellishments directly to fabric at home.
Grace Buckwalter will be presenting her freshman science fair project: a dress that changes colors according to the wearer’s brainwaves.
With an angle on accessories, Brooklyn’s TEAM 3D STUDIO is also offering free 3D printing demonstrations on the use of Thingiverse, Tinkercad, Z Brush and Soliddge.
Build your own robots
Volt (see video below) is a companion robot made by father and son duo Ray’s Robotics. At this year’s event, Ray and his dad will be exhibiting Volt and a collection other 3D printed enabled robots in the faire’s dedicated Youth Zone.
Drinky (the drinking robot) and the Busking Bot are other bots at the fair made by HappyThingsMaker.
Ocean State Maker Mill, the home of Rhode Island’s maker community, will be holding a Moat Boat Paddle Battle, asking visitors to but their design and 3D printing skills to the test in a head-to-head race.
Other Localized Makerspaces and groups joining the event include Central Ohio RepRap and MakerBot User Group (CORMUG), East Side MKRS, the Brooklyn Robot Foundry and Hack Manhattan.
Rocket into space
A team from the University of Connecticut who won the 2017 NASA XHAB Academic Innovation Challenge is one of a host of space fabrication exhibits that will be at the faire. High Frontier Outpost is another project looking at off-world advanced engineering, specifically for the surface of Mars.
Any Nintendo fans out there should also check out the Hyper Shot TGV project: “An Open Source, 3D printed, Arduino Controlled RC Battle Racer” described as “F-Zero brought to Life.”
Art and sculpture
Benjamin Cowden’s mechanical sculptures made using a mix of digital and traditional fabrication methods will be on display in Inside NYSCI: Street Level.
In the Viscuzi Gallery, artist Shir David will be showing her Light Scapes exhibit featuring full-color 3D printed miniatures of people in mundane situations such as watching TV or surfing the internet. Intimate and luminous, the photographic sculptures have been created to explore the part technology plays in our everyday lives.
And of course the event wouldn’t be complete without some 3D printed drones. PennEngineering student Yash Mulgaonkar will be bringing “the world’s smallest collision resistant autonomous quadrotor” to the Hall of Science, along with the latest product of a project funded by DARPA.
There will also be featured talks from this year’s sponsors, including PRUSA Research, Dremel, Solidworks and Glowforge.
If you can’t make it to Maker Faire New York this weekend, 3D Printing Industry will be providing a write up of 3D printing highlights for our readers on Monday. So you don’t miss out, sign up to our free newsletter, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Check out more 3D printing events near you here.
Featured image shows the BalloonBot mascot by Airigami at World Maker Faire New York 2016 Photo via REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
