After three days of sessions at Google I/O in San Francisco, I headed south to San Mateo to catch an even larger meeting of creative minds: the Bay Area Maker Faire. Hardware hackers, inventors, open-source enthusiasts, and creators of all manner of DIY hardware and software were on hand, and there was a line of people waiting to see them that wrapped around the San Mateo County Events Center's parking lot well before the gates opened at 10am on a Saturday morning.
With only a few hours to hit the highlights before my flight, I took an express tour of Maker Faire to find products and projects that represent the collision of DIY and IT best. Aside from Arduino's big presence on the exhibition floor, the biggest growth industry on hand was the group of computer-driven manufacturing tools makers, who are bringing computer-aided design into the real world. Based on some of the projects I saw, DIY computing projects are going to even greater heights—and into orbit. 
Sean Gallagher
A pair of remote-controlled full-size R2-D2 bots patrol the grounds of the Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Events Center just before it opens to the masses.
Sean Gallagher A pair of remote-controlled full-size R2-D2 bots patrol the grounds of the Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Events Center just before it opens to the masses.
Sean Gallagher The hands-on activities at Maker Faire required a signed safety waiver before warranties could be voided.
Sean Gallagher Arduino and Dog Hunt introduced the Arduino Yún (Chinese for "cloud"), a network-connected system that combines the Arduino with Linino, a MIPS-based Linux platform. The boards will ship in June and are priced at $69.
Sean Gallagher Tesla coils tuned as a musical instrument play "Flight of the Bumblebee," while a young volunteer stands protected in a Faraday cage onstage in Maker Faire's performance pavillion.
Sean Gallagher An Android phone's gyro helps this box-bot balance itself on its wheels thanks to the IOIO—an input-output board designed by Ytai Ben-Tsvi that has software libraries for motor controllers.
Sean Gallagher This project (using an Amtel controller) is a lamp that, when touched, illuminates and plays the "power up" sound from Nintendo's Super Mario.
Sean Gallagher The new Arduino Robot, a robotics kit based on Arduino microcontrollers with connectors for multiple sensors. Arduino had a big presence at Maker Faire.
Sean Gallagher The Arduino Robot kit includes a small touchscreen display for interactive control.
Sean Gallagher Also just released by Arduino, this new project starter kit includes everything needed to get going on microcontroller-driven "making"—incuding a how-to book filled with projects.
Sean Gallagher ShopBot Tools of Durham, North Carolina is working with 100kschools to get its ShopBot computer numerically controlled (CNC) routers into schools for STEM and vocational education programs.
An artist constructed these onion-shaped sculptures using a ShopBot CNC router.
Shopbot Tools' Handibot, introduced at Maker Faire, is a low-cost computer numerical control (CNC) router—for wood, not networks. Initially priced at $2,500 and based on open-source software and hardware, the Handibot performs precision cutting, carving and drilling of wood and other materials and can be used on-site with even large pieces of lumber.
OtherFab showed off its next project, OtherCutter—an Exacto-knife based milling machine for creating cutouts from cardboard, paper, balsa wood, and other softer materials. Based on Synthetos' TinyG motion-control system, the OtherCutter is targeted at home makers and schools where the cost and safety issues surrounding CNC manufacturing rule out using mills or routers.
Sean Gallagher OtherFab also had its OtherMill on display—a Kickstarter-funded computer-driven mill for creating electrical, electronic ,and mechanical prototypes. It can cut aluminum, wood, wax, and plastic, and it can be used to custom-cut circuit boards.
Sean Gallagher KickSat, a crowdfunded DIY satellite initiative, is planning to launch hundreds of these "chipsats" based on technology developed at Cornell University and open-source software. Schools and other institutions will be able to develop code for their own micro-satellites and get data from them directly via software-defined radio links. The satellites will be deployed from the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon rocket, hitching a ride on an upcoming International Space Station resupply mission, and orbit for two to six weeks before burning up in the atmosphere.
Nanosatisfi is putting slightly larger micro-satellites into orbit. These ArduSats, based on Arduino microcontrollers, will allow individuals, organizations, and schools to buy a time-share of a mission to run experiments (ranging from three days to two weeks). The company also sells ArduSat kits to allow the development and testing of experiments on the ground before they're loaded in orbit. Like KickSat, ArduSats will catch a ride on ISS resupply missions. But the ArduSats are gyro-stabilized and have high-resolution cameras as well as other sensors.
Sean Gallagher Sean Hathaway took a collection of surplus Tedy Ruxpin animatronic teddy bears from the 1980s and repurposed them with Arduinos as part of an art installation called T, E. D. (Transformations, Emotional Deconstruction). Originally deployed as a wall of 80 bears, the installation animated the bears to speak with synthesized voices, reading anonymous "emotional blog posts" aggregated by wefeelfine.com. Hathaway was giving away surplus hacked Teddy Ruxpins; stay tuned to learn how Ars uses ours.
Sean Gallagher Not Impossible Labs, a community of hardware hackers, launched a project to create a device that would allow Tempt One—a Los Angeles graffiti artist paralyzed by ALS—to continue to create. The EyeWriter tracked his eye movements and allowed him to create laser-projected works onto walls. Now, they're looking for help with BrainWriter—a follow-up that allows him to create works using only his thoughts, via an EEG headset.
Sean Gallagher This giant articulated robotic hand/sculpture greeted visitors to the Maker Faire's vehicle and fire-sculpture displays.
Sean Gallagher Garth Korwin built this homemade submarine using a 1,000-gallon propane tank for the fuselage. He's looking for name suggestions.
Sean Gallagher Among the DIY vehicles on display at Maker Faire was this giant Dalek-mobile, complete with a voice-distorting public address system.
Sean Gallagher One of the more esoteric uses for the Raspberry Pi on display at Maker Faire: an automated sprinkler system.
Sean Gallagher This pedal-powered canoe spent much of the day sailing around the asphalt at the San Mateo Events Center.
Listing image by Sean Gallagher
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