Maker Faire festivals are a beautiful showcase of what modern technology makes possible. The whole maker world feels like a big playground for both kids and adults. It’s incredible to think about what anyone can create at home today, on a small budget, using programmable controllers and online resources. And there’s no need to be especially handy anymore—you can leave most of the work to 3D printers or home CNC machines.
There was also a lot of honest craftsmanship. FabLab representatives interviewed speaker manufacturers and some of the other exhibitors.
Nearby was VĚDÁTOR Peťa, who is also in the video above. He exhibited his inventions, in which he also uses modern electronics, 3D printing and some of those threaded rods to build Stargate rod weapons or motorized shopping carts.
He also has over 200 videos of his projects on YouTube.
Makers are now publishing shoes as open source. Open Footwear is a project by Juraj Šuška. You can download a PDF with templates, heel models, soles, insoles, uppers, linings, let the machines cut it out, mill and print it, stitch it all together, pat it with glue, stick it together, let it dry and go for a run in them.
But by that time we were being thrown out of the exhibition grounds, everyone was closing their stands and starting to pack up. On the way out I took some photos of some electricians in the corridor around the rotunda.
Greenglazz.cz is a project that originated at the Czech University of Agriculture in Prague. They focus on creating self-sustainable ecosystems, called vivariums, which bring a piece of nature into any interior without the need for additional care.
On the way out, you could still take a ride on the wild bikes from the workshop of Aleš Černý, a mechanic who is also dedicated to up-cycled construction art. It’s welded from all sorts of stuff and surprisingly it’s all rideable.
I was worried at first that two hours would be more than enough and I’d run out of things to do, since the entire Maker Faire fit into just one hall. But it turned out to be an intense concentrate of human creativity, with plenty to see and do from morning until closing in the early evening.
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
