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Spotlight on Microsoft Research: the Open Workshops of the Future at World Maker Faire

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Posted by Amy Green
Director, Worldwide Marketing and Operations

Every year, tens of thousands of people descend upon New York City to take part in what’s billed as “the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth” and an “all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors.” What brings such a diverse group together? The one and only World Maker Faire New York (WMFNY).

Taking place this weekend at the renowned New York Hall of Science, Microsoft Research is honored to be an exhibitor at this celebration of curiosity, creativity, and forward-thinking from around the world.

Our tent at WMFNY will feature a number of projects and demos that span across a range of devices and services, helping people realize their full potential as “makers.” Some of the highlights include:

  • TouchDevelop: Create and program apps from most any iOS, Android, or Windows device via TouchDevelop’s friendly programming environment that allows you to write scripts through simply tapping your device’s touchscreen. It’s that easy.
  • .NET Gadgeteer: Play around with Microsoft’s open source, rapid prototyping platform for small gadgets and embedded hardware devices, and see a number of projects that put it to use in some very unique ways, like Sir Walter Cooler: a water cooler that flirts with you. ;)
  • Boxing Bots: Go head to head in a virtual boxing match that makes you the controller while a 6-foot-tall, Kinect-driven, pneumatic robot mimics your every move. It’s Real Steel in real time.
  • PumpSpark Fountain: Watch kids orchestrate whimsical robotic shows that create the illusion of life by combining the power of touch, gesture, and voice controls with custom-designed, animatronic creatures.
  • Project Spark: A powerful, yet simple way to build and play your own worlds, stories, and games. Share all of your creations to a dynamic community, and play what the community makes.
  • 3D Printing: Check out a number of affordable home 3D printers in action, get hands-on time with easy-to-use modeling applications that make 3D printing simple and fun, and learn about the native 3D printing support coming to Windows 8.1.

If you’re heading out to WMFNY, we hope you stop by and say hello. And if you don’t get a chance to visit, be sure to check out the Next at Microsoft blog and Twitter handle for a full recap, complete with photos. Power to the makers!