More than ten thousand visitors, two hundred stands dedicated to inventions and innovation
A large public laboratory, open to inventors, simple onlookers and potential investors. This is the Maker Faire in Prague, held from 22 to 23 June in the capital of the Czech Republic, where the exhibition center has become the world center of innovation and inventions. A second edition full of news about do-it-yourself, new technologies, creative workshops at almost 200 stands.
The main theme of this second edition, school projects, which aim to radically change the way of educating in schools using creativity and play in the context of learning, but the multifaceted character of the event continues to be in the foreground, with inventions regarding recycling, 3D printing, robotics, but also traditional crafts, such as leather, textiles or glass.
Among the educational projects presented at the Maker Faire in Prague, often derived from the ideas of children and teachers, there is also the robot Otto, invented by Camil Palacio, which thousands of people around the world have had the opportunity to build their own. Otto’s function is to teach how a robot works, making the children build it directly. Open source, compatible with Arduino and printable in 3D, Otto brings children closer to technology, making them learn the logical connection between the code and the corresponding action of the robot. Also, Can-Sat, a type of mini satellite used to teach more about space technology or Matelab, the chemical laboratory designed by university students to entice children to get involved in the world of chemistry.
“Individual creative projects get more space both in schools and in open workshops, where people can learn new skills that will serve them throughout their lives – explains Jiří Zemánek, director of the festival program – and new editions of the Maker Faire Festival are created both in the Czech Republic and in the rest of the world. This is a good sign, because modern handymen and inventors who are able to learn and work creatively in the future will be much more necessary than just workers.