From Rome to Copenhagen for the maker festivals
The sixth edition of the < strong>Maker Faire - European Edition and after two years of intense workshops and activities in collaboration with Casa Corsini and < span style="color: #d61a5a;">Paper City (we told you about it here on the blog, remember?) this year we decided to fly further north, towards another destination: Copenhagen !Well yes: to open up horizons, Tata has joined the appeal of the Copenhagen Maker Festival, a large independent fair dedicated to the world of makers.
In the middle of those cold Danish lands we set up Steam workshops of all kinds: soft circuits (as we like to call them), binary code bracelets, 3D bubbles and much more.
What struck us most about the festival was the spirit of the boys and girls who enthusiastically participated in our activities but also and above all of the... parents, who got involved together with the little ones. A few very simple instructions and off they went: they got their hands on beads, LEDs, modeling clay and surprised us with the unusual applications, the creative and unconventional ideas they proposed, having a lot of fun.
In short, Copenhagen was a wonderful experience that inspired us to come up with many new ideas! Below you can find some shots.But let's take a step back..
WHO ARE THE MAKERS?
Anyone who is passionate about technology and works to create projects original and innovative based solely on the strength of their ideas and digital skills: they seek new models, create new tools and open new paths for an innovative use of means and who, with their projects, become authors of change.
They share information and knowledge through the web or in physical places such as < strong>Fab Lab, make extensive use of innovative tools such as 3D printers, programmable electronic boards, open source software, they themselves build new objects or alternative methods to face the challenges of tomorrow, train new generations, solve daily problems.
2.0 educators, thinkers, inventors, engineers, authors, artists, designers, students, craftsmen constitute a great cultural movement (the Maker Movement) with infinite potential who with their small, meticulous and visionary work contribute to creating a society that is more aware of the intelligent, sustainable and inclusive development of technology.
WHAT IS IT THE MAKER FAIRE IN ROME?
It is the most largest in Europe dedicated to digital innovation, the most awaited event of the year for digital artisans and enthusiasts where they can meet, discuss and give life to new projects.< /p>
The fair was attended by 680 exhibitors who showed all their creative work, their discoveries and shared information with the Maker Movement community.
This year we talked about environmental sustainability, augmented reality, drones, circular economy, robotic manufacturing and much more. Much attention was dedicated to teacher training with a rich program of workshops, conferences and laboratories dedicated to the world of industry 4.0, educational robotics, computational thinking, digital artefacts strong>, using the tools most loved by boys and girls such as Minecraft, Lego Mindstorms, Arduino, 3Doodler and robotic arms.
LET'S GET THE NUMBERS!
At this latest Roman edition (last year we were there too! We told it here on the blog), which took place from 12 to 14 October in the trade fair pavilion (7 pavilions for 100 thousand m2 of extension), over 100,000 people including families, students, entrepreneurs and professionals: the children and girls who visited the Kid&Education area were 18,000 (and we are very happy about this because we are convinced that the interest in new technologies must pass first of all among the little ones). Among the projects on display, 25 universities and research centers and 55 high schools from all regions of Italy also participated, proving how widespread and inclusive the language of technology can be.
GLOSSARY OF ROBOTICS AND MORE
Digital artisans: they are technology artists. They create robotic objects and arms, electronic equipment and other technological "wits" often combined with wooden, metal artifacts or actual handmade artistic objects. Together they constitute a great cultural movement based on collaboration and the sharing of information, discoveries and tools: they are supporters of open and free software which have often given rise to the most important revolutions in history of the internet.
Fab Lab: literally Fabrication Laboratory, is a sort of digital workshop where you can find everything you need for the creation of technological products. It is a space open to all, equipped with equipment that is often expensive for individual "artisans", such as 3D printers, numerically controlled cutters, laser cutters, cutting machines (and with them the materials necessary to make them work). Here you can also find "classic" workshops such as carpentry, mechanics or metalworking. However, the Fab Labs are also and above all sharing spaces, meeting points for makers and enthusiasts where they can collaborate on the creation of innovative projects, giving life to start-ups or launching crowdfunding campaigns spread all over the world ( there are several near us, La Tata collaborates with: Corsini House!).
Make: : is the largest network in the world maker that pursues the values of innovation, creativity and collaboration to build a better future. It is the promoting organization of the Maker Faire around the world, of the magazine of the same name and many other products. The first fair dates back to 2006 in San Francisco: it was a real success and from there a network of makers was created and a busy calendar of events all over the world which today also includes New York, San Mateo, Detroit, Rome, Newcastle , Tokyo, Barcelona, just to name a few.