If you've ever been to New England in the fall, you probably know that it's famous for its foliage and nice, crisp weather. Apparently, just a bit south in New York City, however, they still think it's summer at the end of September. The one thing that stuck out about this year's World Maker Faire—aside from the incredible displays of inventive genius—was the unseasonably hot weather. Since most of the cool exhibits are displayed outside, it was as much of a race to find the coolest new MakerEd tools for schools as it was to find some shade every once in a while to keep cool.
Ultimately, we, along with some of the world's top up-and-coming inventors, outlasted the heat and enjoyed the latest unforgettable Maker Faire experience. Unlike most of the attendees, however, we were there for more than just playing with new technologies and volunteering to be guinea pigs to test out these devices. Our EdTech store is unique because it's filled with the absolute latest and greatest STEM, MakerEd, and EdTech tools—all of which enhance innovation and help students in all grades build the skills of tomorrow.
So, that's what we were looking for—as always—at this year's World Maker Faire. Well, that and some giant pizza slices and a thick buffalo chicken-filled grilled cheese from one of the food trucks. But, mostly it was the opportunity to find new and cutting-edge EdTech tools to add to our store.
Maker Faire is famous for flaunting dozens if not hundreds of new 3D printers, CNC machines, and everything in between—as we found out when we discovered the Shaper. At the top of our list for potential additions to our store, this handheld device is actually a CNC machine that's super easy to use and incredibly compact, quiet, and adaptable. And, oh yeah, it's completely portable. Along with this possibility, we discovered plenty more in terms of 3D printers and other tech tools, including Mimic Robots, MESH, and DuinoKit.
It was tough fitting in everything we wanted to see, but the highlights included finding some of these cool new tools to potentially add to our store. Look out for some new robotics and programming tools to be added in the coming weeks! And, among the slew of presenters were Allie Weber, also known as Kid Inventor, discussing how making has given her the chance to invent, and Josh Ajima, who raised awareness about diversity in 3D printing with his presentation called '0 Things.' Overall, it was an excellent weekend as we did what we do best—finding new, exciting, and innovative tech for the classroom!
We also got to meet up with a couple of our best partners, including representatives from MonkMakes and E-Blox. We love the opportunity that Maker Faire provides for us to get to see these partners since we do most of our work together over the phone. Some of our other partners in attendance included Wonder Workshop, Dremel, Bloxels, Makeblock, LulzBot, and the newly-funded Piper.
The Maker Pavilion was filled wall to wall with a bunch of other innovative companies and we wish we could have gotten to visit all of them. It seemed like there was every kind of 3D printer you could imagine, including some kids build themselves, others that use recycled materials as filaments, and almost everything in between. We had to leave some time to check out the races, though. Yes, there was quite an involved racing event at the Faire, which involved competitors racing cars they built themselves! Also, congrats to the Lightning McQueen car, which was much faster than everybody else. The Amazon Box car, pink Camaro, and hippie van were also among the crowd favorites.
Finally, we made sure to catch a bit of the drone races and take in some more inspiring talks on the various stages. This was also a welcomed chance to sit down. And, that was only what was taking place outside. Inside the New York Hall of Science, we found what seemed like an unending display of inventions as well as some of the museum's regular exhibits. More inventors and vendors were set up inside the air-conditioned museum or on the main auditorium stage.
Braving the 90-degree heat was definitely worth it to check out what's next from the innovators of tomorrow! Who knows—you might soon be seeing some of the cool things we saw and tried on our store very soon. And, more importantly, you might be seeing them in classrooms, libraries, and makerspaces in the near future as well!
For more on the 2017 World Maker Faire, check out the #MFNY17 hashtag on Twitter and Instagram!