There's no shortage of amazing eye-candy at Maker Faire - the Mecca for those who make robots, use 3D printers, or are do-it-yourselfers in an age of general apathy towards learning to create.
Officially dubbed "The Year of the Maker" by event staff, Maker Faire 2014 exploded onto the San Mateo, Calif. fairgrounds for the ninth consecutive year, bringing with it a slew of astounding projects and jaw-dropping electronics that would make any Radio Shack employee jealous.
At its core, the Maker Movement is a grassroots movement that looks to reinvigorate American innovation at the individual level. By collaborating on open-source projects and sharing information, the community found at these events is empowering, if a little intimidating at first.
While we spend a lot of time covering the titans of technology around here, we thought it'd be nice to spend some time with the little guys - the up-and-coming entrepreneurs of the technology world.
From their hands to yours
3D printing is a turbulent technology, changing and evolving faster than you can say "PSA filament." Thankfully 3D printer pioneer MakerBot was on-hand at this year's event to explain how the Replicator Mini, the company's consumer-facing flagship model technology, is going to become more and more prevalent in your everyday life.
- Check out MakerBot's website here.
Also on the docket for our tour de faire was the Makelangelo 3, a "mural drawing art robot" that has taken on projects from Einstein to the Eiffel Tower. By reading images from a computer, the machine maps out the drawing path and uses a system of pulleys to move the Sharpie to the correct spot on the pad. It's art meets robots and in a year's time, its creator says, Makelangelo's descendent will even be able to make copies of itself.
- Check out Makelangelo on Marginally Clever.
Watch our video above to see our favorite moments from the show and, if you were at the event, let us know what you really liked in the comments below!
