Maker Faire: The Future Is Now

A century ago, crowds of visitors gathered at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco to ogle at what were then futuristic wonders from every part of the globe. This past weekend, another forward-thinking fair was held in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it was no less amazing. Like that earlier exhibition, the 10th annual San Francisco Maker Faire featured items and concepts that are new, innovative and potentially game changing. Here we’ll look at high-tech gadgetry that could find a place in your home.

Photos by Nanette Wong

Kids, Meet the Meccanoids

There are Maker Faires around the world (to find the one nearest you, check out this map). If they are anything like the fair that just concluded in San Mateo, California (just south of San Francisco), one thing is immediately apparent: Your children are going to know a lot about programming. The Bay Area fair was inundated with vendors showcasing kid-friendly technology. Clearly, coding, circuitry and robots are quickly becoming child’s play. Take, for instance, this robot from Meccano, called a Meccanoid. Perhaps you haven’t seen this friendly-looking bot before, but starting in August, you’ll be able to purchase a set at Target or Toys“R”Us that allows kids to build one.

These wide-eyed machines are billed as advanced but easy-to-use pieces of technology. They come equipped with voice-recognition abilities that allow them to talk, dance and perform kung fu moves. A Meccano representative described it as kids being able to build their own best friend.

Kids operate the Meccanoid (the larger, 4-foot-tall version is seen here) through an app. And, although it’s made of plastic and metal, kids seemed to have a genuine affection for the machine, and they gathered around it at the event like it was a modern-day electronic Elmo.

Read more about how the Maker Faire got started


Oh Boy, Obrary

These days, it seems as though CNC routers and laser cutters are becoming almost as common as scissors.

If you are itching to put your precision cutters to use and make a high-design beehive, smart surfboard rack or mod (and quite comfortable) chair like the one seen here, check out the open designs at Obrary.

Obrary is a software developer that automates digital fabrication, but it also has an extensive library of free designs you can download and use to make some pretty cool stuff — such as the Alex chair.


A Fridge Smarter Than You?

Most of us have experienced the frustration of waking up and discovering there’s no milk for the cereal. The ChillHub is a smart refrigerator that promises to make that annoying situation a thing of the past.

Basically, ChillHub allows USB ports to exist in a refrigerator, allowing it to be connected to the Internet. What this means for consumers is a host of remote monitoring possibilities — including a scale that monitors the weight of beverage containers, letting you know when you are low on milk or (as shown here) Gatorade.

“When you are running out of something, you get a push notification on your phone,” says Wilberto Badillo, a representative for the brand. Thus, in one fell swoop, the ChillHub app may also help do away with the need for a grocery list.

Inching Toward a Smarter Home


Creative Computing

What to call Sprout by HP? It’s touted as being an immersive computing experience that blends the physical and digital world, and as revolutionary as the all-in-one computer. No matter how you describe it, it’s mind blowing.


Basically, a 3D camera and projector called the Illuminator (that thing hovering over the monitor here) allows users to scan anything in 2D or 3D. Once it’s projected onto the touch mat (seen on the desk in front of the computer) or the monitor, users can manipulate the image to design any number of cool things.


Watching the flocks of people trying out the computer at the Maker Faire made one thing clear: It’s a powerful tool that lets amateur and pro designers create amazing party invitations, holiday cards and more for work or home life.


It’s a Drone’s Life

If you have any doubt that the future belongs to drones, this fair will clarify for you. There were drones everywhere — including in a netted area that was the scene of some epic drone battles.


The smallest of them, Micro Drone 3.0, perhaps was the most interesting. This little device, which fits in the palm of your hand, is billed as having superior maneuverability and camera stability. (This model is the first to have a micro gimbal aboard, a device that levels the camera and allows panning shots.). You operate it from your smartphone.

The Inevitable Future of Drones Around Your Home


Grow Up

The BioPic strives to take away every gardening excuse. No space? Black thumb? No problem, its makers say.

This garden tower comes with soil-filled trays and mats outfitted with organic seeds and fertilizer. Basically, you place a mat on the soil, plug in the tower, turn on the LED growing lights and add a little water. The BioPic employees working the booth says it’s just that simple — the company also claims that the LED light system improves plant growth.


You can grow the plants anywhere, indoors or out.


Rain Maker

Here’s another one of life’s little annoyances: You are away from home when it starts to rain, and you don’t have a way to turn off your sprinkler system. OpenSprinkler is designed to take care of that problem by making irrigation a smart system.


Not only can you control watering from your phone or laptop, but the device uses real-time weather data to adjust irrigation.


The fair’s organizers call it “the greatest show (and tell) on Earth,” and everywhere you look, you’ll see young and old dreamers looking for the next big thing.

Have you attended a Maker Faire? Please tell us what caught your eye in the Comments below.

More:
Maker Faire: Pancake Printers, an Electric Giraffe and So Much More
Is the Timing Finally Right for Framed Digital Art?

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