Makedo Makers

REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

 

TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers is a global movement that connects designers, developers and engineers with people with disabilities to develop technological solutions for everyday challenges.

TOM: Melbourne will be a three-day Makeathon in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology, to develop affordable, assistive technology that addresses the needs of people with disabilities.

Makedo founder Paul Justin will be adding his creative expertise as one of the Makers at the Melbourne Makeathon.

The event is focused on creating prototypes, bringing together social activism and open innovation, to work directly with people in need to address areas where market forces fail.

 

 

Teams of Makers - engineers, product designers, innovators and problem solvers, will be connected with Need Knowers - individuals with a deep understanding of a specific disability or challenge, to develop hardware and software prototypes.

Registrations are now open to join a group of talented individuals for three amazing days to experience how tinkering and technology can impact lives.

Applications Close on the 22nd of September 2017.

For more information, please visit www.aus.tomglobal.org

CALL FOR CHALLENGES

Do you have a need TOM can solve?

Take a moment and imagine what you want. Describe your challenges and TOM will connect you with Makers that can develop a solution with you.

TOM: Melbourne is looking for Need Knowers individuals with a personal understanding of the needs of people with disabilities. In most cases these are the ones living with disabilities themselves; in others, these are relatives, caregivers or professionals.

At a TOM Makeathon, Need Knowers are critical to teams working alongside the Makers through each stage of prototyping.

REGISTER NOW

Calling all designers, developers, engineers and anyone who loves creating. At TOM, Makers are the ones that execute every stage of the prototype, turning an idea into a reality.

The maker culture in general supports open-source hardware. Typical interests enjoyed by the maker culture include engineering-oriented pursuits, electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, industrial design and the use of CNC tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking and mainly, its predecessor, the traditional arts and crafts.

If you love dressing up for Halloween, then you'll love these creative cardboard costume ideas made using Makedo.

A cardboard costume can be quick and easy to build, thanks to the ingenious child-friendly Makedo Scru. For those who are seriously scary about their Halloween costume creativity, the complexity can increase exponentially and we guarantee that Makedo's cardboard construction tools are up for the challenge.

Don't believe us? Check out these Makedo cardboard costume highlights!

With so much creative potential in every cardboard box, it can be hard to know where to get started. For those stuck in a corrugated rut, here are some Halloween ideas from Makedo on Instructables.

Have you used Makedo for your Halloween costume?
Be sure to post and share your creation:   #makedoboo

If there’s ever a designer creation you must build, this one is it. We’ve updated the instructions to our infamous Makedo Christmas Tree - and this time around, we’re also working on a mini table-top version!

Put away your wood saw and replace it with a Makedo Safe-saw. Save a tree and find some old cardboard to turn into a DIY Cardboard Christmas Tree.

Here’s our minimalist interpretation to help get you started... but there are endless ways you could decorate it - a Cardboard Christmas Tree is the perfect blank canvas for the kids to get creative with these holidays. Click the collage below to download instructions and cutting template for our full-size Cardboard Christmas Tree, and stay tuned for the all-new mini desk-sized version (coming soon).

You can make a smaller desk-sized version with our instructions here. Either way, we’re sure Santa will be impressed with your creativity and have no problem finding the perfect place to put all your presents. Happy holidays!

PDF Instructions: Cardboard Christmas Tree

The making is only half the fun. How will you decorate your Cardboard Christmas Tree? Here are a few of our favourites from Instructables makers:

All the cardboard construction tools you need to build the Makedo Cardboard Christmas Tree are included in the TOOLKIT Home pack.

Australian makers rise to the challenge at Melbourne’s Preshil primary school.

The Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual event presented by the Imagination Foundation to celebrate the role communities can play in fostering creativity in children. Kids of all ages are invited to build anything they can dream up using cardboard, recycled materials and their imagination. Then each year on October 10th, communities across the globe come together to play!

Watch the following video from a previous Cardboard Challenge event where Makedo joined Imagination Foundation for an action-packed day of creativity and play. The event held in Melbourne, Australia saw over 100 kids and their parents working together to build and play in a maze made from reclaimed cardboard and Makedo parts. Watch the playful creativity unfold before your eyes…

That year, Makedo sponsored a further 10 Makedo Maze events across seven countries for the Global Cardboard Challenge initiative. Mini makers showed us just how fun it can be to explore playful creativity with Makedo and cardboard. Lots and lots of cardboard!

Here are some highlights from events around the world, including Caine Monroy himself with Nirvan Mullick (Caine’s Arcade film maker) crawling through a cardboard maze in L.A.

A big thanks to all of the maze organisers and their happy makers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Salt Lake City and Cedar Rapids (USA), Toronto (Canada), Dorset (UK), Port Elliot and Melbourne (Australia), and Colombo (Sri Lanka).

Will you join the next Global Cardboard Challenge? It's still possible to jump on board, simply register your event to receive resources and support from Imagination Foundation.

Top up your Makedo collection before your next event at the Makedo Shop.

Every year as Halloween approaches we search far and wide for cardboard costume creativity.
Master Maker Yihung Kuo from Taiwan sent us his amazing Makedo Despicable Me themed Minion costume and we couldn’t help but share!

Made of cardboard, early Makedo parts and pure inventive genius, this costume is bound to be all the craze on Halloween. Though... we’d have to say that this guy will probably get more hugs than screams. What do you think?

You can see a full walkthrough of how this amazing Makedo cardboard Minion costume was made on Instructables, with heaps of photos and a few insights on the clever construction techniques that were used. 

Here's another fun DIY cardboard costume using Makedo: a his 'n hers Gingerbread Man!

Now that we're all inspired, what will your next cardboard costume be? As always, we’d LOVE to see your creations. 

Of all the structures and habitats that people make using Makedo, it is probably the Geodesic Dome that gets people talking the most. 

In an email we received from Robert in Canada, he asked us how a Makedo Geodesic Dome he had seen was constructed.

    "…how did they manage to get the triangles to stay together? What would be a big help, is a photo of the inside."

Continue reading to see excerpts from our reply to Robert’s enquiry, as we explain how the Geo dome was built.

image from Makedo Flickr

The trick to attaching panels together is to fold the edges back, and then Scru these flaps to each other on the underside. This means that your measurements for each panel have to include a little extra to accommodate the folded portion.

You will find that this creates a very firm connection… it is a technique we have used for many other creations.
For most joints on the dome, you’ll probably only need two or three Scrus along each edge. 

image from Makedo Flickr, construction using early release Makedo parts

Our geodesic dome was made out of aluminium printing plates that were salvaged from a local printer. You will be able to make a similar structure out of cardboard or any sheet material… just be aware that you need quite a few triangles to create a sizable structure!

Here is a great example using the same construction technique, this time with the folded edges facing outwards.

By creating crisp folds in the cardboard and facing the folded edges outwards, the forces acting on the structure actually work to strengthen the Makedo connections.

We now recommend that cardboard domes made with Makedo use the same approach... try it out and see what you think!

This dome was built out of laser cut cardboard by the guys at designthatmatters.org.

Design That Matters on Instructables

Many online tools are available to calculate panel sizes for domes of different diameters and construction methods.

Here are a few to get you started:

Desert Domes

By Example

Geo-Dome

and of course, the Domebook.

We would recommend making a scale version (roughly a4 size) out of paper first, to confirm your proportions. Some people also use Google Sketchup to help visualise the design before moving on to the proper material and Makedo parts.

You can see some assembly photos in our flickr sets:

- The original construction from State of Design in Melbourne, 2009

- Another rebuild at Melbourne Design Market, using fewer components to connect (interior image shown above).

Building a cardboard dome is a fantastic project, and there is much fun to be had both during and after construction. Don’t be surprised if the kids (and maybe Dad too) are reluctant to come home afterwards… these domes tend to be quite cozy and welcoming.

We look forward to seeing how your own dome/igloo turns out!

If there’s any single Makedo project you have to make, it’s this one.

We’re releasing the secrets of Tanaka Satoshi’s infamous Giant Windball.

The Windball is one of our most revered Makedo creations. Notable for its stunning visual design, creativity, simplicity and adaptability - but most of all a Windball provides hours of play.

No need for further explanation; these pictures and video of one Giant Windball’s adventures in Japan speak larger than words.

Have a ‘ball’ of your own. Make a Windball of any size using cardboard scraps and some Scrus from the Makedo Shop. Click on the image below to download free printable PDF instructions for Tanaka Satoshi’s Giant Windball. 

Note: Images showing early-version Makedo hardware.

One lucky group of students at Preshil’s Arlington Junior Campus in Melbourne spent a whole semester exploring creativity with Makedo. Introduced as a part of the Elective Program, these weekly sessions focused on both individual and group projects across a range of themes.

The Preshil methodology seeks to foster making and creating, building and growing, and exploring passions by finding that special thing that each child loves. And the best part? Electives are run by parents and volunteers who can offer their own unique insights both to support teachers and contribute to the children’s experience of school.

Makedo inventor and Preshil parent Paul Justin was almost as excited as the students were to embark on a series of creative adventures in the classroom with Makedo. Over several months, Paul and the students worked together in a group to build a maze, explored the physical world with animated body tracings, fended off intergalactic invaders in Makedo Transformer costumes and pushed the boundaries with the next generation of architects in custom designed playhouses.

Upon returning to Makedo HQ from the final session, we asked Paul if he’d do it again. His reply?

    “Working with those kids really brought home what Makedo is all about – embracing playful creativity. It’s a special moment to see them engage with the potential of their own imagination. I can’t get enough of it.”