Of all the shows we attend, the Maker Faire, held in San Mateo, south of San Francisco, was the most fun. Over a hundred thousand of the most creative makers, inventors, thinkers and tinkerers were on hand, their talents on exhibit, whether rolling though the fairgrounds in steampunk costumery, demonstrating their Arduino-powered gadgets, or engineering better mousetraps. To reach makers outside the Bay Area, the show cloned itself worldwide spreading the Make movement with dozens of Faires.
Unfortunately, also spreading across the world is the coronavirus. To adhere to safety protocols recommended by the CDC, physical distancing prevents every big gathering. Maker Faires have been closed their doors to maintain the critical physical distancing rules as advised by the National Health Sector Experts across regions of the world, leaving thousands of makers without a place to showcase their talent and display their projects.
However, in a move that promises to provide better worldwide access than ever, the show organizers have made Maker Faire virtual. At no cost, and accessible to all.
This newly minted Virtual Maker Faire is to take place May 23rd and will feature makers responding to COVID-19. The show will be organised and staged for civic responses to COVID-19, 24 hours, spanning all time zones, bringing workshops, demos, and exhibitions right to your screen. The faire will highlight makers’ responses to shortages of medical supplies, logistics, agile product design, adaptive and distributed manufacturing and community organizing.
A virtual Makers Faire can organize projects by type. Appearing in virtual venues will also increase their exposure to industry and manufacturing, those that are looking for out-of-the box ideas, creative and original in thought. In addition, to the help of technologies of digital twins, 3D printing, IoT and the principles of the 4th industrial revolution which include improving quality, faster and leaner management of modern manufacturing and engineering connected into digitally supported platforms and systems. The Maker Faires’ virtual platform may help makers graduate into industry and then make multi-directional impact into a quickly digitalizing world.
Virtually Maker Faire Projects will be showcased on Make: Projects starting on May 23. Attendees will be able to view and contribute to the projects by clicking the "Maker Faire" Category on the homepage.
The importance of all outcomes relies on feedback. Some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be collected to assess and monitor the effectiveness. This may open the possibility of engagement of various IoT, digital-based communities, and an opportunity for networking while adhering to the physical distancing norms. All attendees are encouraged to creatively participate and give feedback on the participating projects! That feedback will help make an impact and take the projects further.
Keep your eyes open and stay up-to-date with World Maker Faire.
What is Make: Projects?
Make : Projects is a collaboration platform that brings together makers, engineers, inventors and doers to develop their passions or solve society's biggest challenges. The messy process of making is at the heart of the platform. The platform balances being a private space to tinker and organize ideas with friends and colleagues, paired with a public forum to showcase work and get feedback. Currently, there are 25,000+ members and 8,000+ projects.