For April’s installment of Tinker, Hack, Invent Saturday, we’ve got another duo taking up shop inside Henry Ford Museum. Our friends from TechShop Detroit are back again building and launching rockets for all to enjoy. New to our Saturday programming is University of Detroit Mercy‘s engineering department. Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineery Darrell Kleinke spent some time with us chatting about this weekend’s program and what you and your family can look forward to.

Read the full article over on The Henry Ford’s blog.

Join area innovators in learning more about Detroit’s surge of creativity and ideas on Thursday, April 18, at the College for Creative Studies for an evening of conversation and collaboration with David Stark. David is a world-renowned event designer, author, and installation artist. Joining David that evening will be Mark Binelli, Michael Rush, Toni Griffin, and Daniel Caudill. You can learn more about the event, hosted by Culture Lab Detroit, here.

Makers, get ready! The call to makers for Maker Faire Detroit 2013 is now open. Check out our Call to Makers page to learn more.

What will you be doing during this week’s Tinker, Hack, Invent, Saturday?
TechShop Detroit Presents: ROBOTS AND ROCKETS! We’re picturing three levels of simultaneous engagement that should appeal to a broad sweep of ages and interests and each of slightly different participatory format.

Paper Rockets! Something for younger kids in a make, play and take format. We’ll have a station for kids to cut out, assemble and decorate soft paper rockets. We will add our CNC Vinyl cutter to the mix to create special graphics and reinforcing bands for the rockets. Once built, kids (and the young of heart!) can shoot their rocket from a compressed air launcher made from common plumbing parts along a fixed monofilament line that is attached to some point near the ceiling. In this way, we can send the rockets on dramatic indoor flights while controlling precisely where they fly. Each rocket will ride along that monofilament fishing line by hitching onto a section of plastic straw that slides up and down the line. Afterward, folks can take their rockets with. Tools used are paper tape and common scissors.

Sphero Decathalon! This one is an open, play experience with no minimum time commitment. We’d like to set up an 8′ x 8′ arena in which all ages can experience play with semi-autonomous spherical robots that can be controlled / interacted with using iPads and smart phones (we will bring at least four devices with us and the control app is a free download if a guest would like to try interacting with the robots from their own device). We’ll also have a miniature soccer field setup for games of 1-on-1 Sphero soccer using a ping pong ball for the soccer ball. Robots can be driven directly or “programed” to follow a path by drawing a route on the screen of an iPad.

Sumo Bots! These are more advanced robots, built from open source parts and microcontrollers, that will be programmed to have a sort of king of the hill match on a large, red, gear shaped arena that we built (you may have seen it standing vertically in our entry way). This activity is a demonstration of more advanced robots and programming. They look more like “real robots” with motors, brains and wires exposed. It will be a great show and we will also have several programmers on site to demonstrate how one of the current, open source conversational programming languages can be used to modify the behavior of the completely autonomous Bots. Our programmers can also, off the cuff, work with interested adults and kids to program in a behavior or strategy on the fly so they can see the immediate application of that program in action on the Sumo Bot arena.

What are some of the favorite offerings at TechShop?
Access to the amazing tools and great big workspace is awesome but my favorite “offering” is the huge variety of skills, expertise, creativity and enthusiasm of our community of shop members! Inspiration and support is inescapable here!

What other projects is TechShop Detroit working on these days?
We’ve got lots planned for this year! In April our new series of member and community meetups kicks off. Concepts and Coffee is our open to the public community meetup where members and folks from the surrounding communities get together to see and talk about the projects they’ve been working on and swap ideas and inspiration. It runs in the Auditorium at the shop the second Saturday of every month starting @ 12 p.m. We’re also participating with NASA and sites around the world on the 2013 open.NASA Space Apps Challenge 48 hour Hack-a-Thon! TechShop Detroit is the Metro-Detroit area host this year. Info on that can be found here.

What’s one tool you can’t live without?
My favorite tool, honestly, is a single edge razor blade. I use them in just about everything I do from making model airplanes to furniture to costumes! Having said that, giant CNC Water Jets are nice too!

What are you looking forward to about Maker Faire Detroit this year?
I can’t wait to see all the new things coming from the ever growing community of first-time Makers, the new things old friends have been cooking all winter long and the great projects TechShop members will be racing to complete in time for the show!

As you’ll see in this video, Sarah will be showing guests how to make their very own Victorian birdcage cards. As Spring has officially sprung on the calendars (but not so much in terms of weather), this card makes for a creative surprise for a loved one or family friend.

What will you be doing during this week’s Tinker, Hack, Invent, Saturday?
We will be building Victorian birdcage cards. Victorian Birdcage cards are made using paper cutting techniques that turn a flat piece of paper into a 3D cage.

What are some of the favorite crafting activities?
I have so many favorites! As a Designer in the Arts & Crafts industry, I have the dream job of crafting everyday. When I am not building for the various manufacturers, I enjoy drawing, bookbinding, metalwork, stamp carving and crochet.

What other projects are you working on these days?
I have been working a lot with conductive paint, 3D printers, and exploring Arduino for a new book, designing materials for cyberschoolers, getting giddy about the various movies that will be filmed here and all the special effects to be made and planning a “Mid Summer’s Night” art retreat… Busy, but fun.

And, it being Spring, we of course are anxiously waiting for the new chicks to hatch! The kids and I are trying to build a better coop for our hens using a Raspberry Pi… It should be interesting!

What’s one crafting tool you can’t live without?
Tough call. My Leatherman is a must & duct tape a very close second.

What are you looking forward to about Maker Faire Detroit this year?
I love Maker Faire. Every year and& each region are so different and offer so many new & exciting exhibits, it’s tough to pinpoint just one favorite thing.

Detroit Maker Faire stands out from the rest, it is so unique and different from the others because The Henry Ford has done such a great job connecting innovation to the timeline of history and instilling in each and every guest that they, too, have a place in history. The folks who exhibit, the makers, they see firsthand how building something changes lives and affects those around them. I get excited by being in the presence of makers, the kinds of doers and tinkerers that ask why and pursue the answers not because they “have to” but because they “want to.” I love the energy of “can-do” type people across the spectrum in ages and the smile in their faces when they say, “Yeah, I made that.” The Henry Ford is a testament to craftsmanship and initiative – it embodies the spirit of those who used their hands to leave their fingerprints on humanity.

I look forward to building in the Young Makers area… Hands down, my favorite spot at Maker Faire!

Each summer, The Henry Ford inspires thousands of children and youth guests. This summer, we are proud to announce an opportunity for those interested in being pioneers in education and leadership to spend their summer helping us inspire future innovators. Avid makers who work well with others and like to share what they know can join The Henry Ford in spreading creativity and ingenuity through innovative, hands-on learning.

The Maker Education Initiative is recruiting Maker Corps members to serve as near-peer mentors and role models for young makers. And they’ve chosen The Henry Ford as one of their host sites! Two Maker Corps members will be selected and trained to work at The Henry Ford, approximately 20-40 hours/wk., for the summer of 2013.

The Maker Corps members at The Henry Ford will be working with the Education Department to help inspire young innovators all summer long through our Tinker Hack Invent Saturdays and Maker Faire Detroit.

If you are or know a young adult “maker” (at least 18 years old by April 1, 2013) interested in resume-building, learning new skills, and becoming part of a national network of makers, then apply here. The application deadline is approaching quickly, so be sure to apply by midnight on March 1!

If you have any additional questions, please contact Christopher Hemler, Curator of Education – Youth, Adult, and Family Programs by emailing him at christopherh [@] thehenryford [dot] org or by calling him at 313-982-6036.

Photo Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library's HYPE Makerspace

Tomorrow we present the next installment in our Tinker, Hack, Invent Saturdays in Henry Ford Museum. This time Detroit Public Library’s HYPE (Helping Young People Excel) Makerspace and Mt. Elliott Makerspace will be on hand teaching visitors how to solder as well as providing hands-on projects. The joint partnership is no stranger to The Henry Ford. Both HYPE and Mt. Elliott have been involved in Maker Faire Detroit in the past.

We had a chance to ask HYPE Makerspace’s Steve Teeri a few questions about this weekend’s project.

What will you be doing during this week’s Tinker, Hack, Invent, Saturday?
This Saturday we will be demonstrating a MakerBot Replicator 3D printer. We will also be experimenting with electronics to make sounds and music. Finally, we will have knitting and papercraft workshops.

What are some of the favorite crafting activities at HYPE Makerspace?
A few of the favorite crafting activities at the HYPE Makerspace are cross-stitching video game characters, and the knitting of scarves and hats.

Mt. Elliott Makerspace brought the Fab Lab to first Maker Faire Detroit.

What other projects are you working on these days?
Other projects we are currently working on include Arduino Robots, silk-screen T-shirt making, designing/sewing clothes, and tearing apart donated electronics to see what we can use out of them.

What’s one tool you can’t live without?
The one tool we can’t live without is the soldering iron. We get so much use out of them on electronics workshops. The teens love liquid metal.

What are you looking forward to about Maker Faire Detroit this year?
I’m looking forward to seeing all the new exhibitors and visitors, and getting a whole year’s worth of inspiration in one weekend.

You might also like to read…
The Makings of Maker Spaces, Part 1: Space for Creation, Not Just Consumption
Fab Lab and Mt. Elliott Makerspace with Jeff Sturges

Over on Facebook
Mt. Elliott Makerspace
HYPE Makerspace

Nick Britsky is the host of Brick Challenge, a LEGO-themed trivia show that first debuted in 2012. The show was a hit with visitors to Maker Faire Detroit, so we brought Nick, and his alter ego “Nick Brickly,” back to The Henry Ford this month as part of LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition.

Make sure to check back to The Henry Ford’s blog for a preview on that month’s featured Tinker, Hack, Invent maker.

Photo via http://shop.lego.com

Out of all the LEGO sets you own, do you have a favorite?
My favorite set is the Imperial Flagship. It was given to me by my wife very early in our relationship. It was proof to me that she was the one and would support and even encourage my passion with LEGO.

What other projects are you working on these days?
I’m designing a number of custom furniture pieces for my LEGO workshop and am developing an interactive zombie game made completely out of LEGO for an upcoming show.

Nick has a lot of LEGO bricks on hand in his LEGO workshop.

What are you looking forward to about Maker Faire Detroit this year?
Good question. For my own project, a couple of ideas are floating in my head. It could be a bigger better Brick Challenge, some type of electric vehicle, or it could be a project out of LEGO bricks.

You can catch the final Brick Challenge games of the season Saturday, Jan. 26, in Henry Ford Museum at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sign up to be eligible for the contestant drawing is 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.

Thank you so much for another wonderful Maker Faire Detroit last summer! Whether you were a returning maker, a brand-new maker, a guest or a hard-working volunteer, your enthusiasm helped make this our most successful Maker Faire Detroit to date.

Since we first presented Maker Faire Detroit in 2010, more than 65,000 visitors have watched, explored, and tinkered with some of the region’s most innovative ideas. It’s always so inspiring to see both inside and outside of Henry Ford Museum turn into a playground for amazing ideas at the end of every July.

Some important dates of note coming up:

Call to Makers: April 1
Tickets on Sale: May 8
Maker Faire Detroit 2013: July 27-28

Our team is busy putting the 2013 plan together for Maker Faire Detroit. We welcome your ideas and suggestions – please send them to us at makerfairedetroit [at] thehenryford [dot] org.

If you’d like to participate in next year’s Maker Faire Detroit, make sure to check back here for updated information. You can also like us on Facebook to receive the latest event news and meet other area makers and fans.

The countdown is on – almost six months until Maker Faire Detroit 2013!