Author Archives: Ian

Qin is the youngest maker we met in China. This crafty 12 year old designed a robot that sweeps floors, and another that mimics a penguin’s walk. These were originally part of a class project, but she continued building and improving them. She likes the fact that Maker Faires are both adult- and children-friendly. Seeing […]

Barry has been designing an open source MP3 player, and sees the Maker Faire as a perfect way to do some research for his project. He’d like to expand his project into automatic home applications. Maker Fairs offer a great outlet for creative people, according to Barry, and he loves the hackerspace-like environment. Barry is […]

Jessie, an electronics and design student at Shenzhen University, came to Maker Faire to show her motorized figurines. When she isn’t hacking electronics, she’s busy managing the local ChaiHuo hackerspace. She believes Maker Faires are an excellent way to stimulate creativity. Shenzhen is the perfect location for the first Maker Faire thanks to its huge […]

Pi Kai builds educational robots, similar to LEGOs, for preschool and primary aged kids. His project has spanned four years, and is driven by his desire to stimulate children’s creativity and interest in electronics. This is his first Maker Faire. He likes the social gathering and creative aspects, and appreciates that it isn’t focused on […]

Gen Ito can from Japan to be part of China’s first Maker Faire. He is project is a wearable gesture controlled Android tablet computer. He’s been working on the project for about a month, and enjoys making physical computing fun for everyone. He believes it’s very important for China to have Maker Faires because almost […]

Co-founder of Makible and member of the Hong Kong hackerspace Felix Lam was glad to see Maker Faire come to Shenzhen. Having watched fellow Dim Sum Labs members prototype everything from open-source mechanical keyboards to automated card-dealing rigs for live-streaming poker sites, Lam knows the value of a collaborative workspace. He sees this regional expansion […]

Jacob Rosenthal is on a 30-day tour of China. He’s learning more about large scale manufacturing while touring China’s electronics industry.  Having visited Maker Faires in the Bay Area and Phoenix, these events aren’t new to him. Jacob believes making is a fundamental human need, and it’s important to have Maker Faire in as many […]

Tom McKinnon is building an electric motorcycle with Hackcelerator, a program that helps makers start businesses using resources in Shenzhen. He’s been working on his project for 2-3 years, and is most satisfied with the creativity side of it. He likes Maker Faires because he loves robots and the chance to meet new people.

David Li is the founder of XinCheJian, China’s first hackerspace in Shanghai. He sees Maker Faires as an opportunity for Chinese makers to highlight their creativity and break out of the mass-production mentality. This was his first faire, and he’d would like to see them return on a yearly basis.