This weekend was an awesome time spent with all the members for our first weekend of buildout at the new i3 Detroit Space. We are making good progress and are very excited to have our Grand Opening Party in a few weeks and wanted to share some photos of the space and happenings over the weekend. Come by and Check us out we will be having our weekly meeting tomorrow evening at the new space @ 7:00 P.M. 322 East 4th Street Royal Oak Mi.
All Photos Courtesy of Nick Britsky and Brad McMahon!
Five months ago i3 Detroit was started based on a vision that was inspired by the many other hackerspaces building and growing throughout the world. This inspiration found itself only with a website and a call out to all Detroit area makers, crafters, coders, artists and thinkers to come together to build a new community space and environment. Five months and a dozen dedicated members later we have finally been able to secure a home for this new community called i3 Detroit.
As of today i3 Detroit has secured a space at 322 E. 4th St. in Royal Oak Mi. We will be working hard over the next couple of weeks to build out our new creative environment. Once we have finalized the space we will be hosting a Grand Opening Event please stay tuned for more details.
Here are some photos of the new space and we will continue to post new photos as we make the space our own.
Saturday, makers of all ages, interests, and backgrounds descended on Ann Arbor for the Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire. i3 Detroit had a booth, and I think it’s safe to say we all had a great time. There were a ton of cool projects, and people showed a lot of interest in i3 and what we’ve been doing. There was a general buzz of enthusiasm in the air, backed by a carnival-like soundtrack of kids playing with the laser harp at the booth next to ours.
The bristlebots were a big hit. People were really fascinated by Matt’s bristlebot arena, and were often amazed that the bots’ seemingly-complex behavior was the result of random vibrations. As for the giant bristlebot, people usually looked at us with disbelief when we explained that it was a life-sized version of the small ones, and they were quite entertained to see the big one in action. Despite some battery troubles in the afternoon, we ran a lot of demos of the giant bristlebot, and had a lot of fun showing it off.
We were giving away bristlebot kits to anyone who made a donation to i3 Detroit, and ran out kits before lunch. We started tearing apart old cell phones to get the vibrator motors out and a very enthusiastic young maker named Indigo sat down and started helping us. After a few minutes, she’d gotten the hang of it, and was harvesting LCD screens for her own purposes.
Outside, i3 Detroit had a second booth that showcased Nick’s cupcake car, water rocket, and marshmallow launchers. The crowd was a buzz just waiting to see the cupcake car in action. Once it was announced that the cupcake would be taking it’s first ride, the crowd gathered to cheer Nick on. An even larger audience gathered for the water rocket launch (and the fantastic crash as it came down).
Some of the other cool projects included a RepRap built here in michigan, an aerial photography rig, a vortex cannon, an acrylic cnc table, a Wii-Nunchuck-controlled Etch A Sketch, the Ypsilanti FIRST robot, and on-site screen printing.
It was great to meet so many interesting people and share what we’ve been working on. If you’re checking out this blog because you saw us at the maker faire, definitely try to make it out to one of our meetings! We’re always looking for more people to be a part of Detroit’s first hackerspace.
https://www.i3detroit.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Logo_large_png8-300x98.png00elplatthttps://www.i3detroit.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Logo_large_png8-300x98.pngelplatt2009-08-30 22:45:272009-08-30 22:51:47Mini Maker Faire Recap
Just a Reminder that we will be holding our regular group meeting Tuesday September 1st @ 7:00 P.M. We will be meeting at The Coffee Beanery in Berkley off of Woodward Ave. Just a reminder for all current members that our monthly dues will be collected at this meeting. Our meeting is open to anyone that would like to come. If you are interested in finding out more about our group and would like to be apart of it please join us!
We will be meeting tonight for our weekly meeting as well as to finish our Giant Bristlebot build for the A2 Maker Faire. We’ll meet at Swit’s garage @ 515 Lloyd Ave. Royal Oak Mi 48073. If you would like to join us and help out or if you would just like to come by and meet everyone at i3 Detroit you are more than welcome.
We are always looking for new members so come on by for a fun evening!
