Maker Faire Hannover 2015

Mit offenen Mündern staunen, mit leuchtenden Augen ausprobieren: Am 6. und 7. Juni verwandelt sich das hannoversche Congress Centrum zum dritten Mal in ein Mekka der Selbermacher und zieht wieder Groß und Klein in den Bann. Dann nämlich findet in der Niedersachsen- und Eilenriedehalle sowie dem idyllischen Stadtpark die Maker Faire statt, die sich als buntes Kreativfestival für die ganze Familie einen Namen gemacht hat.

Technikbegeisterte, Tüftler, Bastler, Erfinder und Do-it-Yourself-Künstler zeigen auf der Maker faire ihre Ideen und Projekte. Von originell bis skurril ist alles dabei.

Ob Roboterbau, Arudino-Basteleien, Steampunk, 3D-Druck oder klassisches Handwerk: Alle Aussteller zeigen, wie kreativ man mit Technik und unterschiedlichen Materialien umgehen kann, wie man Bauteile originell sowie nachhaltig recycelt und welchen Spaß man beim Tüfteln haben kann. Das Mitmachen und Ausprobieren steht eindeutig im Vordergrund.

Neben den vielen Exponaten werden etliche Mitmachworkshops für große und kleine Besucher , unter anderem Löten, Drechseln, Sägen, Schweißen, Schmieden, angeboten. Vorträge über alle Facetten der wachsenden Selbermachkultur runden das Angebot am ersten Juni-Wochenende ab.

Als besonderes Highlight wird der Performance-Künstler Lyle Rowell seinen feuerspeienden Roboter-Hund präsentieren. Der Gigant aus Motorrad- und Autoteilen ist ein beeindruckendes Stück „Do-it-yourself“-Technik und ein starkes Foto-Motiv.

Mit LRRY-1, den man „Larry“ ausspricht, sieht halb aus wie ein riesiger Roboter-Hund, halb wie ein mechanischer Saurier. Der feuerspeiende Roboter besteht aus Teilen alter Motorräder und Autoschrott, ein reparierter Citroën-Motor erweckt ihn zum Leben. Der Clou: Sein aus einem Getriebekasten gefertigter Kopf gibt auf Kommando Feuerstöße ab. Als Baumaterial dienten unter anderem die Hinterachse eines VW-Käfers, der Rahmen eines BMW-Motorrades und die Linsen eines Radargerätes für die Augen. Ein Sattel auf dem Rücken ist die Kommandozentrale, von der aus man die Kreatur steuert. Die Teile für die laufende Tier-Maschine hat ihr Konstrukteur Lyle Rowell fast alle selbst gefunden: vier Monate hat er dafür gebraucht, seine Wunschteile vom Schrottplatz zu retten und zusammenzusetzen.

Tagestickets für die Maker Faire gibt es ab 11 Euro im Online-Shop oder an der Tageskasse. Weitere Infos unter makerfairehannover.de.

Magdeburg für drei Tage Treffpunkt der Roboter

Ab heute ist die Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg wieder für drei Tage Treffpunkt nationaler und internationaler RoboCup-Teams. 200 Teams mit 1000 Teilnehmern machen die RoboCup German Open zu einer der größten Robotik-Veranstaltungen Europas. Während sich die M ajor Teams in spannenden Wettkämpfen auf die RoboCup-Weltmeisters chaft vorbereiten, ermitteln die Junior Teams die Deutschen Meister und legen fest, wer Deutschland bei der Weltmeisterschaft in China vertritt. Weiterlesen

RoboCup German Open 2015 Magedburg Live Streams

Here you find the LiveStream provided by the TU Eindhoven for the RoboCup @Home League:

 

This year, the HTWK Leipzig StreamTeam (http://streamteam.fbm.htwk-leipzig.de) will stream all SPL matches in this year’s Robocup German Open Competition: http://streamteam.fbm.htwk-leipzig.de/live

 

Mehr als 1.000 Teilnehmer aus 15 Ländern werden zu den RoboCup German Open erwartet

Am kommenden Wochenende wird die Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg wieder zum Treffpunkt nationaler und internationaler RoboCup Teams. Insgesamt 200 Teams mit über 1.000 Teilnehmern werden zu den spannenden Wettkämpfen in der Ottostadt erwartet. Die RoboCup German Open finden vom 24. bis zum 26. April 2015 auf der MESSE MAGDEBURG statt. Der Eintritt ist frei. Weiterlesen

Wonder Workshop launches FREE digital magazine for kids

Wonder Magazine brings hundreds of hours of play with activities, challenges and updates for robots Dash & Dot

Las Vegas, NV—January 5, 2014 – Wonder Workshop (www.makewonder.com), a company building delightful robots for children to learn to code, today announced the launch of Wonder Magazine, a free bi-weekly digital magazine for children and their families. As children around the world start their exploring coding and play with robots Dash & Dot, Wonder Magazine will provide the ongoing challenges and activities to extend the play experience to hundreds of hours.

Children will love the magazine for the new activities that bring open-ended play experiences, and challenge them to explore creative problem solving with the robots. Parents will find topics to engage their children in conversations about the robots and coding. Wonder Magazine intends to keep the fun going forever in every home with Dash & Dot.

The first edition of Wonder Magazine will be released in English to customers on January 15, 2015, and customers can sign up for the magazine at makewonder.com/magazine. It will be delivered on a bi-weekly basis directly to the Wonder Workshop mobile applications and customer email inboxes. The magazine’s content will focus on creative news ideas for playing with Wonder Workshop’s robots, Dot and Dash. Sections of the magazine will include:

• Making Wonder series (featured play idea with video)
• Ask Dash, Ask Dot
• Wonderful projects (featured projects from kids around the world)
• Adventures of Dash & Dot
• Hello World (coding lesson)
• Build-a-Bot (building and crafts with Dash & Dot)
• Wonder Labs (engage with the Wonder Workshop team)
• Funny Corner, Events and Announcements

“Now that Dash & Dot are arriving into homes around the world, we’re excited to offer new and engaging ways for children to play and learn with them,” said Vikas Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Wonder Workshop. “Our team is excited to introduce Wonder Magazine to help kids and families explore more activities with the robots every week.”

Last year, Wonder Workshop delivered over 30,000 robots to 20 countries in one month in December 2014. At $4M in pre-orders, Wonder Workshop is the largest crowdfunded consumer robotics product ever. All pre-orders were delivered to customers in time for the holidays of 2014. Dash & Dot are now available for purchase and immediate delivery exclusively on makewonder.com and Amazon.com.

Wonder Workshop’s developer API is live in the hands of early developers building apps and fun experiences for the robots. Wonder Workshop ships to 20 countries including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, European countries, India, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Wonder Workshop was founded in 2012 by veterans from Amazon, Apple and Google to create robots that can be friends of children around the world, and help every child learn to code at a young age. Dash & Dot were used by schools around the United States for “Hour of Code,” and were invited to the White House for the launch of the program in 2014. Dash & Dot can be found on makewonder.com and on Amazon.com. Dash & Dot are programmed using applications provided by Wonder Workshop on iPad 3 and up, iPad mini and iPad Air. Developers looking to build applications for Dash & Dot on both iOS and Android are welcome to visit Wonder Workshop at developer.makewonder.com for more details.

Dash & Dot by Wonder Workshop

Wonder Workshop makes learning to code meaningful and fun for children. Dash & Dot, a pair of robots, combine play and learning for children ages 5 and up. For more information, visit our website at http://makewonder.com.

Dash is an explorer.
• Drives around.
• Senses objects in front and behind.
• Hears and responds to sounds.
• Comes to life with sound, lights, and head motion.

Dot is an instigator.
• Responds to how it is moved.
• Sends a signal for Dash to see where it is.
• Hears and responds to sounds.
• Transforms with sounds, lights, and imagination.

Dash & Dot connect wirelessly over Bluetooth and come with four iPad and Android experiences:

  • Go gets you started and exploring the world of Dash & Dot in no time. Simply connect with Bluetooth and get off and running. This app is a portal for online ideas and content.

  • Path takes Dash on adventures as kids draw a path for Dash to take. Unlock themes and special animations. This app teaches basic sequencing and event- based programming.

  • Blockly is a visual programming tool that lets kids control Dash & Dot, making them move and interact with each other. This app teaches sequencing, events, conditionals, and loops.

  • Xylo is a music app that uses the xylophone accessory. Compose songs and program Dash to move around while playing music. This app teaches sequencing and loops.

Accessories for Dash & Dot help give them additional looks and abilities. They include a xylophone, a pusher bar, a smartphone mount (to take videos with any smartphone), bunny ears, and a tow hook.

Dash is $199. The Wonder Pack, including all robots and accessories, is $349. They are available for purchase at the Wonder Workshop website here: http://makewonder.com.

Somabar – The Automated Bartending Appliance for your Home

January 3, 2015 (Los Angeles, CA) – Meet Somabar, the first smart automated bartending appliance created for your home. This patent pending technology is the brainchild of two young entrepreneurs based in Los Angeles, Ammar Jangbarwala and Dylan Purcell-Lowe. “We are both fans of mixology and technology and consider ourselves nerds on the two subjects. Three years ago we had this ‘aha’ moment and realized bartending and mixology are about a century behind modern technology,” says Jangbarwala. “So we started playing around with pumps, tubing, a bulky HD screen and some programming and created an android app and a crude device that rested on a metal skid. But there it was, a robotic bartender sitting in our garage making cocktails in 5 seconds.”

 

After three years of refinement and a few dozen rounds of prototyping they have created a fully functional prototype with a sleek design. It’s a project they are truly excited about. However, “Due to the large manufacturing and development costs we will have to incur, we are limited in our ability to bring this to market,” says Purcell-Lowe. Therefore, they have taken their project to Kickstarter.com.

 

While there have been other automatic bartending machines created for clubs and bars, there has yet to be one created and priced specifically for the home appliance market. “We wanted to create something people could actually afford and use in their own kitchen,” says Purcell-Lowe “not just something they could only dream about.” Somabar stands at 15’’ tall and fits easily next to your coffee maker. It uses a Wi-Fi connected ordering system controlled through an Android and iOS compatible app with the ability to make 12 drinks a minute. But, what makes Somabar even more unique is that its patent pending technology is able to infuse craft bitters, while also thoroughly mixing every drink, before being poured into your glass. Its six liquor containers and bitters container, also called Soma Pods, are portable, dishwasher safe and easy to refill. Somabar is self-cleaning using an internal water-flushing system ensuring that every cocktail made tastes like your first.  It boasts an interactive menu of over 300 cocktails and makes each drink creation in under 5 seconds.

 

Their campaign is now live at: http://kck.st/11ChwPn

Pixel Pals Educational Electronics Kit – Integrated Learning Tool

Chip – the first in a line of beginner friendly products debuts on Kickstarter

Chip, a Pixel Pals educational electronics kit, is the first in a line of beginner friendly products that goes beyond learning soldering skills. He can be incorporated into Arduino based projects as well as using the Pixel Power board in e-textiles. The kits are designed to be multifunctional, yet affordable.


The first character, Chip featured in this Kickstarter campaign, focusses on LEDs and basic circuitry. Once soldered, it can standalone with the Pixel Power board and serve as a fun toy or light. Chip can also plug into an Arduino Uno Rev 3 or into a breadboard where Chip can be incorporated into more advanced electronic projects or programming lessons.

Soldering Sunday created the Pixel Pals soldering kits to fill the gap between introductory and advanced projects. Each Pixel Pal will focus on a particular electronics component which will require soldering; but are Arduino compatible so that they can be programmed for other projects are used.

The kits are also designed to be affordable for organizations and parents who want to encourage STEAM education but are hindered by the large price tag of many existing educational products. The Kickstarter campaign, if successful, will help keep the production costs down.

Kickstarter is an all or nothing proposition. Soldering Sunday hopes to reach its goal of $2,500 to cover mass production cost of the Chip, Pixel Pal Soldering kit. The project runs from
November 3 to December 3, 2014.

To keep up to date with the project, follow Soldering Sunday on Twitter (@SolderingSunday), Facebook (www.facebook.com/SolderingSunday) or on their website (www.solderingsunday.com)

Also consider visiting the project on Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com/projects/solderingsunday/chip-an-electronics-kit-with-character) donating $1 on Kickstarter to receive updates.

Dynepic® to Launch Internet of Toys™ Platform & Debut Product on Kickstarter: 15 November

Dynepic® is pleased to debut the future of toys with our premier device, the DynePod™, which will launch 15 November on Kickstarter.com.  DynePods™ operate on The Internet of Toys™ (IoToys), Dynepic’s state-of-the-art open platform designed to share cloud content and connect toys, merging elements of child’s play and technology to enable children to interact with their toys in revolutionary and modern ways.

The DynePod™ is an educational, Bluetooth connected toy designed to introduce fundamental concepts of customization, socialization, programming and engineering, by allowing children to create their own interactive programs for their toys. Using a graphical If, Then programming interface, developed under contract with the National Science Foundation, children can create a multitude of unique, useful programs that involve both the digital and physical world.  DynePods™ are modular, fully customizable toys that are compatible with a multitude of self-designed and 3D printed accessories, encouraging the next generation to start innovating.  Enabled by the Internet of Toys™ platform, DynePods™ can morph and grow with the child through cloud updates, as well as connect wirelessly with other DynePods™ and a host of other future toys linked to the platform.

„DynePods™ and The Internet of Toys™ platform will enable new play patterns and encourage open-ended exploration for the future of toys, for children, makers, and toy inventors alike,“ Krissa Watry, Dynepic’s Co-Founder & CEO, comments.  „We hope you will join us by supporting DynePods™ and the Internet of Toys on Kickstarter, 15 November.“ For more information on how Dynepic is working to build the COOL aisle for toys, please visit our website www.dynepic.com or contact us at [email protected]. A Press kit is available.

Founded in 2011, Dynepic® is focused on building cool connected toys and an open architecture and cloud platform to drive child friendly content in new and innovative ways. Dynepic® is a women owned, veteran owned, small business focused on creating the Internet of Toys™.