Maker Faire

EyeBot Robot Group Sonia Santana , Tom Davidson
This mobile platform telepresence robot is controlled by a very basic remote-control and uses two microcameras: an infrared monochrome one and a high-resolution color one.

Joule Thief / Throwie Mike Scioli
Joule thief is a boost circuit to suck the last juice out of a battery. It is made entirely (in most cases) of recycled components. Throwie is LED-lighting/flashing circuit coupled with a magnet to temporarily attach it to most steel surfaces.

Mechanical Flower Denise Scioli , Puiyee Hung
Inspired by a stainless steel vegetable steamer, this flower opens and closes, lights up, and plays music and sounds when you move in front of it.

Robo-Tower (aka Ponginator) Ed Xavier Gonzalez
A 15-foot-tall tower integrates a video & audio system and illustrates various Robot Group activities real-time. Its shell evokes the look of a toy robot from the 1960s.

RoboSpinArt The Robot Group
The venerable spin art machines of the 1960s and 70s created funky, psychedelic artwork by dropping paint onto rotating paper, so that centrifugal force would make bright streaks of color. With this machine you can create spin art using a joystick to position a “paint gantry” above a rotating piece of paper, and then press a series of buttons to dispense paint in measured amounts. Plus, it's accompanied by an exciting light show, a rocking soundtrack, and a countdown timer that creates a sense of urgency.

Robot Building Made Simple Bob Comer , David Comer
Designing and building a medium-sized robotic platform can be very complex. Using PVC pipe and parts from electric, ride-on childrens' toys greatly simplifies the process. See how to build platforms with two-wheel and four-wheel drive.

Robot Glove, Babbling Head, Froggo, and Seeker Robot Eric Lundquist
See a rich collection of diverse robotics projects, including a virtual reality glove which controls a robot arm in five axes, an animatronic art head that sings sea shanties (Robot Group classic!), an animatronic low-budget creature-feature prop, and a GPS-autonomous RoboMagellan contestant.

SanDraw: Sand Drawing Machine Paul Atkinson , Rick Abbott
Inspired by Dr. Bruce Shapiro's original art piece "Sisyphus", SanDraw plots patterns in the sand using a robotic arm to trace polar coordinates. SanDraw is made from hand-machined aluminum parts and uses a microcontroller and stepper motors.

Screamin' Babyhead Band Marvin Niebuhr aka Professor Conrad
This visual and audio extravaganza features Rogue Bio-mechanicals.

Stirling Engines Rick Abbott
The Stirling engine was invented in the 18th century as an alternative to the steam engine. These model Stirling engines include three powered by alcohol lamps and two powered by hot water in a coffee cup. They are unusual and fun to watch.

The Table of Gizmonic Contents Brooks Coleman
A tableful of gizmos and projects ranging from some classic, favorite Robot Group blimps, fashion arts, robots, and musical devices, to several new works-in-progress like the "machine shop in an Altoids can" and the "seat crawler."

Thereping Vernon Graner
Come play this unusual, synchronized, digital musical instrument. Simply wave your hand, and you’ll hear something that’s part theremin and part bagpipe.

Trampoline Sensor MK II James Delaney
Control games and music by demo games by jumping or running on this mini-trampoline with two position sensors.