What Kids Want to See (Part III)
If you missed the last two installments of “What Kids Want to See”, check out the previous post and the first one to see what kids at Betty Brinn’s Be A Maker space drew when we gave them some paper and crayons and asked the question “What would you like to see at Maker Faire this year?”
The pyramids were built by humans, and they are awesome feats of engineering! We don’t have any pyramids, but we do have geodesic domes, and a tiny house made from Construx. We’ve even got Blacksmithing and Fun with Fire, but that’s more “pyrotechnic” than “pyramid”… it’s close, right?
“Purple Bonfire” (as interpreted by an adult helper) isn’t exactly something you’ll see at Maker Faire Milwaukee, but we do have Game of Fire, which will definitely have fire, and we’ve also got Firefly Electronix, which isn’t fire at all, unless you do it wrong. And speaking of doing it wrong, watching The Power Racing Series is always a good chance to see an electrical fire…
Wow, I don’t even… This looks amazing, I mean, there’s a trampoline, a pool, and a 20 foot tall basketball hoop. None of our Makers have proposed anything like this, but we do have the South Milwaukee SeaPerch underwater ROV building, which uses a pool, so all we really need to add is a trampoline and a 20 foot tall basketball hoop.
Rumor has it our friends at the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum will have a castle at Maker Faire… cool! If you want to find your want to the castle, perhaps you need to see the Medieval Mapmaker, and if your quest is perilous and you need assistance, maybe the Larpcraft of Milwaukee crew can help you out.
I don’t know what “Pizza Cat” is, but I want to see it at Maker Faire, too! If we don’t have a “Pizza Cat” at least we’ve got Frankie Flood (who makes amazing pizza cutters) and Red Cat Racer, which is a race car built by Bay View High School students. Pizza + Cat = Awesome!
Besides all these awesome things, what we really want to see at the Faire is you! (But please, leave your cat at home!) Make sure you pre-register for tickets so we can see you at State Fair Park on September 23rd & 24th, 2017!
What Kids Want to See (Part II)
As mentioned last time, kids (and adults) love to draw and color, and one of the activities we did at Betty Brinn’s Be A Maker space involved asking kids to draw what they wanted to see at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year. They came up with some interesting ideas, so we’ve selected a few of our favorites and we’ll share them with you in this post. (Maker Faire is all about sharing, right?)
Super Heros, eh? Sometimes super heroes are people in costumes, and yes, we will have people in costumes! Be sure to check out Laughing Rat Cosplay, Shaman Cosplay, CMLeahy Designs, and others!
So you want to see blimps at Maker Faire Milwaukee? We’ve been working on a secret project that involves blimps at Maker Faire Milwaukee. Obviously someone let it slip that we’ll have blimps at Maker Faire Milwaukee. So yes, there’s a good chance you’ll see blimps at Maker Faire Milwaukee.
As we mentioned last time, there will definitely be robots. We’ve got the SE Wisconsin R2 Builders, and while R2-D2 is a droid, we’re going to let that slide. We’ve also got Columbia Gadget Works with their “cardboard fighting robots”… And what are “cardboard fighting robots”? Well, you’ll find out at Maker Faire Milwaukee. If you like art more than you like fighting, maybe Lee Bots is more your style, with robot sculptures that are handcrafted from discarded electronics.
We’ve got the Milwaukee Association of Radio Control Clubs and they’ll have model boats, and some might be sailboats! If you want a larger sailboat, you’re in luck! This year we’ve got LOY, which is an 18 1/2 foot sailboat with two sails in a balanced lug yawl rig and an 18 foot tall mast! LOY has been a project-in-progress at Milwaukee Makerspace for the past five years, so it’s beyond exciting that it’ll be moving out of the building, into the water, and then joining us at Maker Faire.
Well, there are no submarines yet, though at least one member of Milwaukee Makerspace has proposed building a submarine, so maybe next time? We will have underwater remotely operated vehicles from South Milwaukee High School and the MATEROV from SFROBOTICS and those are submersible, so I think that counts.
This one doesn’t have a title, and we’ve discussed it with the team, and no one is quite sure what it is. Nonetheless, I hope we see this at the Faire. Maybe you’ll want to make it and bring it along?
Besides all these awesome things, what we really want to see at the Faire is you! We want to see everyone at Maker Faire Milwaukee, along with their family, and friends, and super heroes, and sailboats. Make sure you pre-register for tickets so we can see you at State Fair Park on September 23rd & 24th, 2017!
What Kids Want to See
Kids (and adults) love to draw and color, and one of the activities we did at Betty Brinn’s Be A Maker space involved asking kids to draw what they wanted to see at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year. They came up with some interesting ideas, so we’ve selected a few of our favorites and we’ll share them with you in this post. (Maker Faire is all about sharing, right?)
Water? You got it! Milwaukee is known for our work with water, and we’ve got two water exhibit so far, the Graphical Waterfall by Pevnick Design and the The Immersive Fluid Flow Experience by Tom Hansen. Okay, the second one doesn’t actually feature water, but does demonstrate how water flows. And as for the Graphical Waterfall, it’s pretty magical in the way it creates art using computer-controlled water droplets.
A Flower Garden? We’ve got The Grow Room by Peter Graven which is an alternative building concept for urban gardening, and Fairy Garden Fun by the Sun Lakes Girl Scouts. Maybe not exactly a “Flower Garden” but they are both garden related!
“A robot that can talk and walk around and interact with people” is pretty specific! In fact, we had a long conversation about how to classify robots, cybernetic beings, cyborgs, plants, and other living creatures. We’ve got a lot of robots lined up for Maker Faire: ChiBots, Wisconsin Robotics, Robotics Association at UWM, a robot that can weld, Rock’em Sock’em Robots, and more. Hopefully one of them will be able to “talk and walk around and interact with people” (but maybe not the welding robot.)
Daleks? Yes, Daleks. Why, our friends at Dalek Asylum Milwaukee will attempt the world’s largest gathering of Daleks at Maker Faire Milwaukee! We also hope you’ll bring a Dalek, or at least a Dalek costume, and take part in the fun. Rumor has it Dalek Asylum Milwaukee may also provide a “Make Your Own Dalek Costume” station at the Faire. So yes, you will definitely see Daleks at Maker Faire. (I know, it looks like an adult may have drawn this one, but I’m okay with that.)
Hi Reinaliz, we think it’s awesome that you want to see your family at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year. We want to see them too! We want to see everyone at Maker Faire Milwaukee, along with their family, and friends, and robots, and cybernetic beings. Make sure you pre-register for tickets so we can see you at State Fair Park on September 23rd & 24th, 2017!
Meet the Speakers – Roger Tokars
We’re excited to announce that Roger Tokars from NASA will be speaking at Maker Faire Milwaukee. You’ll have two chances to hear his talk, Saturday at 4:45pm and Sunday at 11:30am. The speakers will be presenting on the second floor of the Expo Center. (Look for the steps going up in the main entrance of Hall A.)
Here’s a description of Roger’s talk:
Roger Tokars will talk about the massive algae blooms affecting the Great Lakes region. The need to monitor the lakes for toxic algae in those water. The development of a hyperspectral imager system for the monitoring efforts. The future plans of hyperspectral imagers for manned aircraft, satellites, and unmanned aerial systems.
Roger Tokars received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 2007 and M.S. in Physics from Cleveland State University in 2013. He has been with NASA GRC for more than 10 years, with much of that time spent on hyperspectral imaging systems. He has flown numerous aircraft missions monitoring the toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie. He was lead designer for a new wide field of view hyperspectral imager that was built and tested this year for the S3 Viking aircraft. He was also the lead designer for a new low weight and compact hyperspectral imager that was built and tested this year for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the Nova N6500 by Altavian.
BAM’s Camera Obscura
What is a Camera Obscura?
A Camera Obscura exhibits the natural optical phenomenon that occurs when an image of a scene is projected through a small hole in a wall as an inverted image (left to right and upside down) on a surface opposite to the opening. This is similar to how a “pinhole” camera works. Camera Obscura with a lens in the opening have been used since the second half of the 16th century and became popular as an aid for drawing and painting. The device was developed further into the photographic camera early in the 19th century.
The Be A Maker space at the Betty Brinn Museum has built a large Camera Obscura, and they’ll have it at Maker Faire. During open making sessions in August, visitors to the museum helped construct a large light-proof plywood room in the middle of the BAMspace. By placing a small lens and pinhole on one side, the room was transformed into a camera obscura.
Learn more about BAM’s Camera Obscura or read about the history of the Camera Obscura.
Build and Race a Nerdy Derby Car!
So what exactly is the Nerdy Derby? It’s described as such:
A no-rules miniature car building and racing competition inspired by the Cub Scouts’ Pinewood Derby. With a larger, more undulating track and no restrictions on the size of the cars or materials participants can use, the Nerdy Derby rewards creativity, cleverness and ingenuity.
Our own spin on the Nerdy Derby involves supplying all of the material you’ll need to build a car, and the tools to put it together, as well as decorate it. Hammers, nails, hot glue, glitter, and a team of helpers will help kids (and adults!) built cars all weekend long.
Once you’ve built one, you can race it down our track. You’ll also be able to take it home with you, because hey… you made it!
(There is a $2.00 fee per car to cover the cost of materials.)
The Artemis Bridge
We’ve already told you about the spaceship bridge simulator called Artemis, but we haven’t show you the actual bridge we’ve been building. We asked Captain Brant for permission to take some photos, but he said he’d need permission from the Admiral.
We were able to sneak a few quick shots while he was busy fighting off an attacking ship, so check out the photos below.
To see the complete spaceship bridge, join us in the Dark Arts area of Maker Faire Milwaukee!
It’s almost time…
We’ve already told you about the GIANT CLOCK you’ll see at Maker Faire, and since we’re just a few weeks out, we thought you might like an update.
Tom Gralewicz at Milwaukee Makerspace has been leading the efforts, and putting time in every day to get this clock up and running for Maker Faire. The pneumatic nail gun makes putting nails in place quick and easy!
The small gears were all laser cut using one of the laser cutters at Milwaukee Makerspace. (Yes, they have more than one laser cutter!)
The gears are driven by these motors mounted inside wooden frames.
The smaller acrylic gears drive these larger wooden gears, which move the cubes.
The large gears were cut from 4×8 sheets of plywood using the (recently completed) 4×8 CNC Router at Milwaukee Makerspace. Here’s some of the 4×8 sheets showing where the parts were cut from.
With the large gears and strong motors, the clock is powerful and (slightly) dangerous! Warnings were needed…
More wood…
And more wood…
Of course there’s an Arduino to help control everything…
Tom is 6’3″, and the clock will be about 8 feet tall by 16 feet wide.
The next two weeks are going to be a bit hectic, but the GIANT CLOCK should be up and running (and telling time) before 9am on Saturday, September 26th, 2015 when Maker Faire Milwaukee officially opens!
Ben Nelson will “Loop the Lake”
Milwaukee Makerspace member Ben Nelson is a huge advocate of electric vehicles and renewable energy, and he loves sharing his adventures with the world. You may have seen his DIY electric motorcycle at Maker Faire Milwaukee last year.
Ben will be back again this year, but starting this week he’ll be embarking on a “DIY Road Rally” where he will be traveling 1,000 miles, circumnavigating Lake Michigan, without using a single drop of gasoline. Luckily, he’ll be back in time for Maker Faire with photos and video footage from his trip, which he hopes to turn into a full documentary film.
You can find out more about the project on his web site, and you can also follow the journey on Facebook. Ben’s blog is also filled with maker-related topics ranging from building an ice scooter, to home solar projects, to sand blasting pie plates.
AudioBody at Maker Faire Milwaukee!
We’re pleased to announce that AudioBody will be bringing their high-energy performance to Maker Faire Milwaukee with shows on both Saturday and Sunday!
AudioBody is described as a “thrilling high-tech comedy show” and from what we’ve seen so far, we agree! The show features an explosive mix of circus arts, relentless comedy, full-body contortion, juggling, LED light shows, and upbeat music.
AudioBody members Jason and Matthew Tardy have been touring professionally for over 20 years (and have performed at the White House three times) and will bring their 45 minute show (followed by a 15 minute Q&A session) to the Dark Arts stage at Maker Faire.
Here’s a sneak peek of what you might see!