For many of us, it’s difficult to imagine a world without Maker Faire. The flagship events in California and New York have served as a celebration of the creative spirit for a decade, giving hackers and makers a rare chance to show off their creations to a live audience numbering into the hundreds of thousands. It’s hard to overstate the energy and excitement of these events; for anyone who had the opportunity to attend one in person, it’s an experience not soon forgotten.

Unfortunately, a future without Maker Faire seemed a very real possibility just a few months ago. In May we first heard the events were struggling financially, and by June, we were saddened to learn that organizer Maker Media would officially be halting operations. It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen to the flagship Maker Faires, and when Maker Media reluctantly admitted that production of the New York Faire was officially “paused”, it seemed we finally had our answer.

But as the recent Philadelphia Maker Faire proved, the maker movement won’t give up without a fight. While technically an independent “Mini” Faire, it exemplifies everything that made the flagship events so special and attracted an impressive number of visitors. With the New York event left in limbo, the Philadelphia Faire is now arguably the largest event of its type on the East Coast, and has the potential for explosive growth over the next few years. There’s now a viable option for makers of the Northeast who might have thought their days of exhibiting at a proper Maker Faire were over.

We’ll be bringing you detailed coverage of some of the incredible projects that were on display at the Philadelphia Maker Faire over the coming days, but in the meantime, let’s take a quick look at some of the highlights from this very promising event.

Room for Activities

Held on the Pennovation Works campus, the event featured both indoor and outdoor exhibition areas. The projects on display inside tended to be somewhat more delicate, or otherwise required a bit more infrastructure than could be mustered under the rows of tents erected in the Pennovation parking lot. This included a rather lively musical performance courtesy of eight sequencer-controlled Nintendo Game Boys, and an area where attendees could check out the the latest in virtual reality gaming.

But while the indoor exhibition area was a nice change of pace, especially on a blustery October day, the real action was outside. Many of the projects on display, from the fire-breathing steel pterodactyl to a street-legal flywheel powered car, required far too much room to fit inside the building. Plus, it’s where you’d find the food trucks and even a beer garden operated by the local Yards Brewing Company.

The Pennovation campus also features an outdoor “Motion Capture Arena”, an area about the size of a tennis court that’s fully enclosed with netting so robotic vehicles (flying or otherwise) can be safely contained while still having plenty of room to move around in. This …read more

Source:: Hackaday