Pendulum Drawing Machine
Maker Faire Bay Area 2026
September 25th-27th
A 7-year-old asked: "Can gravity draw a picture?"
So he built a machine to find out.
Using PVC pipes, string, markers, and binder clips, this 1st grader designed and constructed a pendulum drawing machine entirely by himself. When the pendulum swings, it doesn't just move — it creates. Every arc, every spiral, every chaotic beautiful line is the result of gravity, friction, and momentum working together.
No two drawings are ever the same. Just like the curious mind that built this.
Visitors are invited to release the pendulum themselves and watch physics turn into art before their eyes. Change the string length. Add another pendulum. See what happens.
This project earned an Honorable Mention at Montair Elementary School Science Fair — but more importantly, it started with a question, a pile of pipes, and a kid bursting with curiosity — who tested, experimented, and kept asking "what if I try this?"
That's what making is all about.
Marvin Conrad
Marvin has been obsessed with the Exploratorium since he was 3. Every time we go, he doesn't want to leave. At home, he builds train tracks from his own designs — no instructions, just whatever's in his head. He's the kind of kid who sees a problem and immediately wants to take it apart and figure it out. This project started with a simple question he had: can gravity actually draw? He spent weeks testing different string lengths, different numbers of pendulums, different starting positions. Every time something didn't work, he just tried something else. He built the whole machine himself. He's in 1st grade. He's 7. His teacher and the science fair judges gave him an Honorable Mention. But honestly, the best part wasn't the ribbon — it was watching him explain to other kids exactly why each drawing came out different. This is where his maker journey begins.
