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Five first-time makers and maker groups brought distinct, participatory projects to Maker Faire Bay Area in 2024: a chalk-drawable Pegasus, a custom LEGO city, a hands-on chip-design activity, a robot-and-guitar showcase, and a webcam-driven installation. Sam Freeman’s Make: profile, published October 11, 2024, captures what visitors could encounter at that event.
What did the first-time makers bring to Maker Faire?
The five profiles span sculpture, model-building, digital design, robotics, music, and interactive installation. Their projects differed not only in subject, but in how visitors could take part: drawing on a sculpture, exploring a handmade city, changing code, playing or manipulating projects, or interacting through a webcam.
| Maker or group | Project | Visitor participation described in the profile |
|---|---|---|
| Miki Masuhara-Page | Ms. Peggy, a large Pegasus unicorn sculpture with a mermaid tail | Draw on its chalkboard-painted surface |
| Raghav Kheterpal | A detailed LEGO city | Explore the custom-built city and its details |
| Verilog Meetup | A Verilog and FPGA chip-design activity | Change code, synthesize a design, and load it onto a supplied FPGA board |
| Dorian Todd | Robotics, a combat robot, an LED display, and a custom electric guitar | Play the guitar, examine robot components, and create LED visualizations |
| James Steinberg | Drop of a Hat Zone, a webcam-based interactive installation | Use a live webcam to play a piano and draw on a virtual whiteboard |
How did Ms. Peggy invite visitors to participate?
Miki Masuhara-Page’s Ms. Peggy is described as a nine-foot-tall Pegasus unicorn with a mermaid tail. Its surface is covered in chalkboard paint, so visitors could add their own drawings and marks. Lighting emphasized both the sculpture and its changing chalk drawings after dark.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →In the Make: profile, Masuhara-Page connected the project’s inspiration to growing up in an isolated valley on Hawaii’s Big Island, childhood stories, horses, and a wild pony she tamed named Lio. She said she wanted the work to “spark joy and creativity.” These are her reported inspirations as presented in the profile.
#1 Best Overall
- Build six sleek, functional toy models of catapults, trebuchets, and launchers.
- Models include classic seige devices from medieval times: crossbow, reverse-draw crossbow, onager, catapult, trebuchet, and ballista.
- The 32-page, full-color illustrated manual includes detailed assembly instructions as well as experiments that demonstrate physics and engineering topics like force, energy, motion, and trajectory.
- Specially designed and tested for safety, the kit includes soft foam balls and foam-tipped projectiles; building components are designed to allow only the included projectiles to be inserted.
- Bonus activities! Also includes cardboard target blocks to test your aim, and the box itself transforms into a castle kids can color and decorate to set the scene for their medieval physics adventures!
What made Kheterpal’s LEGO city his own?
Raghav Kheterpal’s intricate city included five restaurants and public transit. He singled out the small details inside and outside the buildings as what made the city feel alive. Its mall, airport, and school were examples of buildings he said he created through his own imagination rather than following sets or instructions.
The profile describes Kheterpal as a young maker but does not give his age. His project’s appeal lies in the combination of a city-scale layout and individually imagined buildings, rather than a single model assembled from a prescribed design.
Rank #2
- WHAT IS IT? Construct a medieval seige tower with this exciting DIY building kit. This all-in-one wooden model kit includes all the components you need to create a siege tower with a powerful working catapult capable of launching projectiles over 15 feet. With clear, step-by-step instructions, builders will enjoy a hands-on experience that combines creativity with learning about physics, engineering, and the history of medieval weaponry. Ideal for classrooms and workshops, this STEM toy not only entertains but also enriches education, inspiring curiosity and critical thinking!
- HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE? The medieval warefare wooden building kit typically takes 45-60 minutes, depending on the builder’s experience. Transforms science into a fun, interactive learning experience for kids.
- Recommended for ages 14+, this kit is ideal for builders, hobbyists, educators, model collectors, and anyone interested in hands-on engineering experiences. Its detailed construction process and functional launching mechanism make it well suited for classroom learning, STEM demonstrations, maker environments, or personal projects. It also serves as an impressive display piece or mechanical desk model once completed, offering both educational value and visual appeal.
- WHAT DO I LEARN? This seige tower catapult model is a fantastic educational tool, for lessons in engineering, design, simple machines, pulleys, levers, and more simple STEM concepts.
- We only make high quality educational toys that are made from fsc natural untreated wood, non toxic and comply with and pass the ASTM toy safety standards for childrens toys.
What could visitors do in the Verilog chip-design activity?
The Verilog Meetup group introduced digital chip design through Verilog, a hardware description language, and FPGA experimentation. Visitors could alter Verilog code to create static or dynamic graphics on a color LCD, synthesize the design into a bitstream, and load it onto FPGA boards provided at the booth.
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An FPGA, or field-programmable gate array, contains a matrix of cells whose logic functions can be changed. The profile names Xilinx, Altera, Gowin, and Lattice as vendors represented among boards supported by the group’s examples; it does not identify the exact boards used at the Faire.
Rank #3
- BUILD TIME: ABOUT 60 MINUTES – A rewarding, straightforward project with a clean, mechanical finish once assembled
- AGE 14+ – Designed for teen and adult builders who appreciate hands-on projects, historical engineering, and mechanical creativity.
- FULLY FUNCTIONAL CATAPULT – Tension-powered system delivers consistent launches for testing distance, force, and mechanical performance
- MEDIEVAL-INSPIRED DESIGN – Precision-cut wooden components reflect classic siege engine construction, offering an engaging STEM-focused build experience
- MECHANICS & PHYSICS EXPLORATION – Includes step-by-step instructions to experiment with tension, projectile mass, and trajectory for authentic mechanical learning
How did Dorian Todd combine robots, music, and visuals?
Dorian Todd described bringing RED.hex, a hexapod robot; a combat robot; an LED display; and a custom Flying-V-style electric guitar made from mahogany and aluminum. Visitors could play the guitar, inspect parts of the combat robot, and create visualizations on the LED matrix display. Todd called RED.hex his most exciting project for the event.
In the profile, Todd attributed his motivation to online creators, real-world encounters, personal experience, and the maker community. The exhibit brought those interests together in several forms: a walking robot, combat-robot engineering, an instrument visitors could play, and a display they could manipulate visually.
Rank #4
- Introduce kids to woodworking—with real tools and supplies
- Over 80 smooth pine pieces, including a lightweight hammer and nails
- Encourages creativity as kids strengthen problem solving and motor skills
- For ages 4-11 years
What happened in James Steinberg’s Drop of a Hat Zone?
James Steinberg’s installation was described as using AI to drop hats onto a person’s head unexpectedly. Visitors could also use a live webcam to play a piano and draw on a virtual whiteboard. Steinberg’s short description of the idea was “At a moment’s notice, at the drop of a hat.”
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe profile does not explain how the hat-dropping system worked, what hardware it used, or what safety controls it had, so those details cannot be inferred from the description.
Best Value
- Immersive Magic World – This building set vividly recreates the enchanting atmosphere of a magic school. From the towering clock tower and pointed spires to the vine-covered walls, every detail is rich with narrative. Inside, six themed rooms await discovery: the headmaster's office, an astronomy observatory, and a potion chamber, complete with accessories like telescopes, cauldrons, and magical scrolls—transporting you into an authentic world of wizardry
- 3-in-1 Magic School – This magical school building kit features 3 transforming styles that require no complete disassembly, allowing effortless switching between distinct forms by adjusting specific modules. The quick and clever assembly method inspires exciting and creative ways to play. With intuitive and seamless shape changes, one set becomes three unique display pieces—delivering triple the magical fun for static decoration, imaginative storytelling, or collectible display
- Light & Shadow Magic – The precise lighting highlights the refined contours and intricate details of every floor, casting a warm, enchanting glow through the windows and across the entire structure. It transforms the delicate daytime collectible into an immersive, dreamlike magical realm at night. Perfect for family bonding, holiday gifts, or creating an enchanted corner, it’s a captivating atmosphere enhancer and a collector-grade display experience
- Safety & Quality You Can Trust – Crafted from eco-friendly ABS, this magic castle building set features smooth, burr-free pieces that are completely safe and odorless. Designed for ages 12 to adult, its 1960 precision bricks snap together securely and withstand repeated assembly. The sturdy construction provides stable support for the 3-in-1 transformable structure, keeping it intact for long-term display. For true peace of mind and lasting quality
- An Exceptional Gift Choice – Once assembled, this grand magic school architecture model kit measures 12.6” × 3.7” × 13.8”, featuring an impressive design with exquisite details that capture the architectural essence of a magical world. It includes clear printed instructions and a premium gift box—making it an unforgettable present for fantasy fans or architecture enthusiasts, perfect for Easter, Father’s Day, Christmas, or any special occasion to spark delight and create lasting memories
What connects these five first-time exhibits?
Each project gave visitors a different relationship to the work. Masuhara-Page left a surface open to marks; Kheterpal built a city to inspect; Verilog Meetup invited code changes that could be realized on FPGA hardware; Todd made selected projects playable or visually interactive; and Steinberg’s installation used webcam-based activities alongside its surprise premise. Together, the profiles show five different ways a maker exhibit can move beyond something to look at and offer a point of participation.
All descriptions here refer to the 2024 Bay Area event as covered by Make: in October 2024, not to current event logistics or a claim that the exhibits remain available.
Quick Recap
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