Winners on the Road to Maker Faire Bay Area

After an intense round of voting by the public, our judges are ready to announce the winners on this year’s Road to Maker Faire Challenge, presented by Esurance.

And the winner is… Greathouse Labs by Lance Greathouse, pictured above. This Arizona-based maker’s wares have been seen in years past at Maker Faires around the country, as well as on the playa for Burning Man. Lance will receive a $2,500 prize to travel to the Bay Area next month, and he’ll be bringing several of his “lab” projects with him to exhibit.

Our two runners-up will also receive awards. They’ll get a Maker’s Notebook and a one-year subscription to MAKE Magazine. They are…

Laser Kaleidoscope by Raster

The Laser Kaliedoscope features a laser pointed at a mirror, and that reflects the laser onto another mirror, and that one reflects it onto another mirror, and then it shows up on the wall. You can make the motors spin by adjusting the speed by turning the potentiometers. There are 3 motors and by setting them all to different speeds, you can get some crazy patterns going.

ModelBox 3D

ModelBox 3D is a fast and affordable 3D rapid prototyping solution. You can take any 3D model, slice it with our software, print it using a standard inkjet or laser printer and create a real sculpture in 15 minutes for a fraction of the cost of other 3D printers.

The range of projects that competed on the Road to Maker Faire Challenge were truly inspiring. From Mindstorm-driven and circuit-based projects, to robotic and interactive sculptures small and large, to multiple electric vehicles, what is a challenge to you today makes an exciting world for all of us tomorrow. And I thank you each for participating.

All of the projects that competed in the 2013 Road to Maker Faire Challenge can be seen below.

But the road doesn’t stop here. There’s another… a World Maker Faire, later this year in New York City! Stay tuned.

Custom Prosthetics and Super-human Armor systems.

MuMu watching and re-projecting Mei’s memories.

TARDIS Tesla is a lightning performance/game involving two large tesla coils, a replica TARDIS, and sonic screwdriver TV remotes.

Robotic Drawing Arm Kit

Arduino Powered Wall Drawing Robot

Dependable and stylish commuter transportation at ten cents for a 40 mile trip.

The Hello World Program is an educational puppet show for aspiring makers to learn about robotics, electronics, programming and digital media.

Build marble runs using only paper and tape. The Paper Roller Coaster templates have been used in schools in all 50 states and over 25 countries. It’s a great hobby for anyone that likes origami or engineering.

DARwIn-OP is an acronym for Dynamic Anthropomorphic Robot with Intelligence – Open Platform or DARwIn for short.

Environmental Monitoring System powered by Arduino, Solar Energy, and Wi-Fi with a custom-built web and mobile API for visualizing data.

ModelBox 3D is a fast and affordable 3D rapid prototyping solution. You can take any 3D model, slice it with our software, print it using a standard inkjet or laser printer and create a real sculpture in 15 minutes for a fraction of the cost of other 3D printers.

My repurposed life brings to you old and comfortable sweaters transformed into beautiful and practical purses and accessories.

This was a three year build aimed at making an exact, hand made, animatronic replica of the robot WALL-E, from the film of the same name.

Garden lights that sparkle when the wind blows. The stronger the wind blows, the more they light up.

Think of a giant sized ant farm, the windmill, the farm and the field, but in the field something is moving….it’s a gopher!

A simple laser light show with 3D printed parts, motors, mirrors, potentiometers, and some batteries.

ChipiKart is a very tiny electric racer. It’s all the fun you can fit into a lawn tractor seat.

The Common Room community aims to spontaneously redefine space as a semi-public living room for concurrent creativity. In The Freeform Common Room we’ll use everything from basic knitting to hyperbolic crochet techniques to enable makers to bring out the whimsy in everyday spaces. Let your collaboration be the exhibit.

A modular N scale model railroad enhanced with Arduino-powered features.

Make an Artificial Flower That Lights Up When You Water It with Lemon Juice.

Have you ever wanted to tattoo classical works of art onto a banana peel. Of course you have!

A lifesize, lifelike raptor to walk around the faire.

Worlds first rubber band shotgun kit with 3 modes of firing.

Can you find the combo and light the light?

AirBnb for Makers. ThingShare is a Collaborative Consumption platform for makers to share tools and consumables.

High School students convert truck completely electric.

Is it a time machine? A MIDI controller? A sound board? An art sculpture? Yes! We just call it awesome.

The UW student organization for 3D printing is back with a second full-sized 100% recycled milk jug boat.

Make your own toy and learn about electricity, circuits, motors and LEDS!

Make your own stylish custom computer case using only common hand tools and minimal skills. Is your style art deco, mid-century modern, mission, or modernist? I’ll show you how to adapt that style to a computer case that would be proudly displayed in your equally stylish office or living space.

Travel chess set that you can play a 3 dimensional game on! When finished everything packs flat! Perfect for your hectic on the go lifestyle! Fits easy in any backpack or purse!

Building a 3D Molten Glass Printer with a Vitrigraph kiln.

WaterBoy & BubbleHead are underwater performance art – on land! Part spectacle, part mad science and part tent revival, WaterBoy is hard to explain but impossible to forget.

Using a 3d printer, CNC Router, Arduino, attiny85 and simple electronics, I’ve encased a tickle-me-elmo doll in Carbonite, like Han Solo, and it still wiggles, giggles, and tickles.

Using 3D printing, 3D scanning, & 3D modeling to imagine a better future with kids around the world.

Unique wheelchairs, scooters, BBQ grills robotic ice chest and fire machines!

Trailer mounted “Human Power Conversion Unit”. Allows up to sixteen operators; working as a team, to drive a capstan style interface. The teams collective kinetic energy is converted to A/C power via gearbox and generator. Power is used to operate lights, powertools, and battery chargers to store energy.