Hosted in San Mateo, California’s Event Center this past weekend, Maker Faire Bay Area was buzzing with inventions and gadgets of all kinds, and attracted 150,000 people. There were racing drones, solar-powered vehicles, life-sized robots, coding stations, a whole lot of LEGOs, and so much more. Below are five innovative technologies that caught Electronic Products’ attention at the self-proclaimed greatest show and tell on Earth.
PocketCHIP
Founding partner and designer Thomas Deckert is pictured above holding PocketCHIP, in front of a life-sized display of the technology.
Powered by a $9 computer, CHIP was created by Next Thing Co., a small team of California-based engineers and artists turning the dream of a lower-cost single-board computer into a reality. The board is open-source, runs a flavor of Debian Linux, is equipped with a 1GHz R8 ARM processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of eMMC storage.
By partnering with Chinese semiconductor company, Allwinner, the startup was able to figure out how to reduce costs in order to make the computer affordable for everyone.
Makeblock
Various Makeblock robots showing off at Maker Faire.
Chinese-based open-source construction platform, Makeblock, drew in crowds of all ages at Maker Faire. The startup allows you to build anything that comes to mind with its kits, from wiggling robotic caterpillars to reliable 3D printers. No matter what your ideas are, Makeblock provides numerous mechanical parts, electronic modules, and software such as beams, connectors, plates, motors, sensors, brackets, drivers, and controllers to bring them to life.
The company’s MegaPi, a microcontroller board based on ATmega2560 can control and combine different types of motors, drive 10 servos, eight DC motors, and four stepper motors simultaneously, with a maximum output current of 10A. It’s the first board to connect Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
Roy the Robot
Roy the Arduino-powered robot is made of laser-cut plywood.
The human-sized robot named Roy is an Arduino-powered animatronic character constructed from laser-cut plywood and 52 hobby servos. With his deep voice and moving arms, head, and realistic facial features, this Terminator-like machine was one of the most eye-catching projects on exhibit at the show.
Roy’s robotic arm kits were for sale at Maker Faire, and if interested, you can purchase one now for $349.
SAM wireless electronics kit
SAM blocks are the LEGOs of electronics.
SAM is a wireless electronics kit with a goal to make it easier for children or anyone with an idea for a connected project to get building. With its drag-and-drop app, anyone can learn the basics of programming and become an instant inventor.
Dubbed as the “electronic LEGO,” there are 15 different wireless blocks, all with a specific talent. You can click, push, twist, or slide sensors to make actors flash, twirl, buzz, or move, but that’s just the beginning — combine your blocks’ talents to build Internet-powered robots and smart mailboxes, or design your very own automatic cookie dispenser.
Arduino-controlled sewing machine
Control your sewing machine with an Arduino.
A sewing machine controlled by an Arduino is certainly unique, and it drew quite some interest at Maker Faire. Showcased by the South Bay Knitting Meetup Group, items of all kinds, such as quilts and scarves, are created regularly, and thanks to a computer-powered sewing machine, more efficiently.
It’s high-tech sewing at its finest.
Bonus drone racing video
Be sure to check out this drone racing video from Maker Faire Bay Area. The race was won by drone pilot Travis McIntyre.
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