Talented tinkerers recently traveled to Orlando to display their masterpieces and inspire others From a bike with an 18-ft-long gator on its roof that could “chomp” and sway its tail, to a life-size wheel where you could “be the hamster” by running to crush ice for a snow cone, eye-catching creations were everywhere during the 5th Annual Maker Faire® Orlando — Fig. 1. The event took place on October 22 and 23 at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. It played host to more than 300 exhibits, hands-on workshops, talks, races, and competitions. More than 1300 individuals worked to make everything possible. Popular attractions included • Combat Robotics, complete with a full-size arena, where teams’ small and large robots battled in various rounds • Take-it-Apart area where electronic devices could be dismantled • Nerdy Derby stations for making cars from recycled materials, then racing them on a new long track, and • Make-a-Shirt Workshop for producing a t-shirt by silkscreening ink. Thousands of attendees were not only entertained and educated but also inspired. Keynote speakers left a positive impact as well. “You have every reason to make your dreams real,” said Omar Khateeb, an artistic scientist and cofounder of p.s. mister: Inc. He offered tips for overseas manufacturing, encouraged professionals to show up and put in the work every week, and championed attendees to be the makers who have both a start and a finish. 32 WELDING JOURNAL / DECEMBER 2016 BY KRISTIN CAMPBELL Makers Motivate a Continuing-to-Create Community Fig. 1 — Impressive creations were found all around the 5th Annual Maker Faire® Orlando, including this bike that accommodates four people. On its roof is an 18-ft-long alligator, along with #bikegator and MiM Kinetic (menagerieinmotion.org) signs. Pulling levers makes the reptile’s mouth “chomp” and tail sway.
Welding Journal | December 2016
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