The collection of makers will include more than one third that are new to the Faire as well as many returning favorites, attractions, and performers. Popular areas of interest include personal drones, wearables, 3D printing, humanoid robots, young makers, hackerspaces and makerspaces, and much more. All makers can be found on the Maker Faire web site at http://makerfaire.com/meet-the-makers. Some highlights of the makers at World Maker Faire New York 2014 include:
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Help is at Hand: Created by young maker and robotics enthusiast, Ananya Cleetus, Help is at Hand is a robotic prosthetic hand for leprosy victims that includes a 3D printed robotic hand using InMoov CAD files and a flex sensor glove that controls servos for the robotic hand using an Arduino.
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Origami - The World's Most Portable Laser Cutter: Red Ant Lasers presents the World's Most Portable Laser Cutter. Prepare to have your paradigms reformed!
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D.I. Wire: The D.I. Wire is the first desktop wire bender, a new archetype for digital fabrication, that transforms drawn curves into bent wire that can be assembled to make just about anything.
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BOOM! The Puffing Gun and the Rise of Cereal: Puffed cereal, a breakfast staple, debuted at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, MO. The Puffing Gun is a traveling 3,200-pound, historically accurate, and custom-made cereal-puffing gun, recreated from a 1939 patent that explodes ingredients into crispy puffs. Attendees will get a kick out of watching puffed cereals being created by the puffing gun right before their eyes!
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Plastic Storm Sculpture: Created by artist George Sabra, the Plastic Storm sculpture is a 14-foot high storm funnel made out of reclaimed plastic bottles, cups, jars, and caps which represents the massive "storm" of plastic waste humans generate on a daily basis. This project intends to raise worldwide awareness among citizens regarding the waste and hazards of the use of plastic and its environmental impact.
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Ototo -- Make Music from Anything: Ototo is an all-in-one musical invention kit which allows users to make an instrument any way they want. It's a synthesizer with twelve onboard touch sensitive inputs and a range of different add-on sensors to make interactive sound.
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Thompson & Dundy's Luna Park, 3D Printed: A site to behold! Entirely 3D printed, this is a 1:13 scale replica of Coney Island's famed Luna Park as it stood a hundred years ago, populated with 3D scanned portraits of Coney Island's most interesting characters.
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Paper Worlds - Transforming Books: Paper engineering artist, Natalia Draz, creates books that bend, unfold, reveal and stretch into a multiple forms. Her creations are the ultimate in pop-up books and experiential storytelling. Faire attendees will be able to see how geometric shapes change flat paper into amazing spaces and even take on making something themselves.
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LUM: LUM is a dream for parents of small children. This smart lamp delivers an optimal and consistent sleeping pattern and environment for children by allowing kids to set the self-regulating light to their own bedtime routine and controlling it via their favorite stuffed animals. At the Faire, attendees can set up the time to see how the sleep environment is created and control the night lamp with a teddy bear.
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ALAIR (Assisted Living Autonomous Internet Robot): From Ben Hylak, teen maker and robotics enthusiast, ALAIR is an autonomous robot that aims to help elderly people take care of themselves. This robot can take blood pressure, pulse ox, body temp, and even dispense medications. With the goal of helping baby boomers age gracefully, ALAIR can make it possible for the elderly to live independently, longer, and with good care.
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Fashion & Light: Young maker, Annika Lo, combines art, fashion, and technology to design clothing that brings together practical comfort, interactivity and artistic expression. Faire goers will be able to see and learn from Annika's wearable creations.
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PicassoBot: PicassoBot is an open source drawing arm robot that can take pictures from the computer or an Android camera and sketch them on paper. USB-powered and Arduino-compatible, this robot kit is perfect for learning at all ages. The kit was developed to help teach students simple robotic concepts and use their imagination to create.
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Your Home, Your Way: This system, created by young maker Andrew Katz, tailors home automation to each person in the house using RFID. Customizations for each family member include their favorite music, air freshener scent, lighting, and more. It's completely open source, involving Arduino and Raspberry Pi. At the Faire, attendees will be able to interact with multiple small appliances that they can control through the system, experiencing it for themselves.
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DIY Plant Phone Charger: NYC designers Krystal Persaud and Hirumi Nanayakkara are making nature as a power source a reality. Their DIY Plant Phone Charger allows users to charge their phone by plugging it into a vertical gardening system, potted plant, or even at a public park to juice up their electronic devices. Attendees can learn more about how the charger works and see it in action at the Faire.
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Swap-O-Rama-Rama: Swap-O-Rama-Rama is the world's largest clothing swap and they'll be at World Maker Faire New York. SwapMama and her merry band of Swapping-Eco-Sewers will be hosting DIY, hands-on textile workshops and showing attendees how to re-purpose, repair, and revive garments instead of shipping them off to a landfill.
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3D Printing Village: Last year's 3D Printing Village took the topic to new heights, showcasing the possibilities that abound with 3D printers. This year, the Village is back and bigger than ever with more makers showcasing the advancements, innovations, and potential of 3D printing.
World Maker Faire is excited to welcome back a longtime Goldsmith Sponsor, RadioShack Corporation. RadioShack will be bringing to World Maker Faire New York 2014 one of the Faire's most favorite hands-on learning experiences, the Learn to Solder area.
"We are excited to again bring our Learn to Solder area to World Maker Faire New York 2014 after helping over 4,000 adults and children make their own blinking LED rocket ship pin at Maker Faire Bay Area 2014 in May. For many, it was their first time to use a soldering iron," said Joe Magnacca, chief executive officer, RadioShack. "We are proud to enable a new experience for so many and we hope it encourages people to continue to create, make, and invent. In our new interactive stores, we are celebrating these individuals who innovate by making their inventions available to a wide audience in our Discover It area. Makers are part of our history and an important part of our future as well." World Maker Faire participants are encouraged to stop by RadioShack's booth to experience the products the company offers and see first-hand its Fix It Here! mobile device repair service.
