There is truly no gathering quite like a robot party, and this year’s Maker Faire Bay Area is preparing to host its most ambitious mechanical celebration yet. Taking over the historic Foundry floor at Mare Island from September 25 through 27, the event will bring together an extraordinary array of machines, ranging from faithful cinematic recreations and competitive combat robots to whimsical creations and advanced artificial intelligence testbeds.
Set beneath the soaring steel beams, vast expanses of industrial glass, and the looming presence of Mare Island’s monumental historic crane—which once hoisted massive submarines—the venue provides a striking backdrop for the intersection of industrial history and grassroots technological innovation. While the upcoming weekend promises a dynamic convergence of makers, engineers, and curious spectators, a preview of the featured exhibits reveals the immense creativity driving the modern maker movement.
Droids and More Droids
Among the perennial fan favorites returning to the floor are the members of the Bay Area Droid Builders. This eclectic community of dedicated makers specializes in designing, fabricating, and programming custom replicas of iconic droids from the Star Wars universe. Visitors to their exhibit will have the opportunity to encounter beloved mechanical companions brought to life by local enthusiasts who combine classic crafting techniques with modern electronics, custom paint finishes, and remote-control systems to faithfully capture the spirit of a galaxy far, far away.
OpenSAINT: A Modern Robot Replica
Stepping from the screen into the physical world, OpenSAINT represents a monumental engineering effort to recreate the beloved robotic icons from the classic science-fiction film Short Circuit. Developed by the team at Input-Inc., the project is the culmination of more than 20 years of collective work, design, fabrication, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
The project stands as a testament to what passionate builders can achieve when they pool their skills in industrial design, mechanical engineering, and software development. Attendees can visit the project’s booth throughout the faire to examine the intricate inner workings of the robot, catch impromptu appearances on the Foundry floor, or attend a dedicated presentation by the creators on the Make: Le Tigre stage scheduled for Sunday, September 27.
Combat Robotics With Mech Warfare
For those drawn to high-octane mechanical action, the MechWarfare arena delivers intense competition between fully walking robotic combatants. Set within a detailed miniature cityscape complete with streets, miniature vehicles, and small stormtrooper figures, these sophisticated walkers engage in tactical skirmishes using airsoft BBs.
Each competing robot is outfitted with four distinct target plates designed to register impacts and feed real-time data to an overhead scoreboard visible to the audience. To further immerse spectators in the action, dual large-scale monitors broadcast the live point-of-view perspective from the robots’ onboard cameras. The arena serves as both a competitive battleground and an educational space where builders discuss the mechanics, kinematics, and control systems required to make multi-legged robots navigate complex terrain.
Counterculture Labs: DIY Biology and Citizen Science
Expanding beyond traditional electronics and metalwork, Counterculture Labs returns to the Maker Faire for its second decade of participation, showcasing the intersection of biotechnology and the maker community. With a philosophy centered on the idea that biotechnology will shape the twenty-first century just as profoundly as computers shaped the twentieth, the group advocates for open access to scientific tools, education, and experimentation.
Visitors exploring the Foundry floor can encounter a diverse array of biological exhibits, including the whimsical Kombucha Petting Zoo, a fully functioning running bioreactor, and intricate displays of living Agar Art. Members will be on hand to discuss topics ranging from mycology and micromitigation to community-driven health science, demonstrating that biology is just as accessible a medium for makers as wood, plastic, or code.
Robot Dance Party & Comedy Show
Proving that technology can possess a sense of humor, one family-built robotics exhibit brings levity to the technical showcase. Originating from a 12-year-old’s summer ambition to construct an open-source inMoov humanoid robot, the project has expanded into a trio of comedic machines designed to entertain audiences through a blend of physical performance and automated stand-up routines.
Based on Gael Langevin’s open-source designs, the robots integrate multiple Raspberry Pi computers and Arduino microcontrollers to manage complex servo movements, display monitors, and text-to-speech generators powered by Python and C programming. Utilizing OpenCV and DFRobot AI hardware for facial detection, the machines offer an interactive, responsive experience that bridges the gap between sophisticated software engineering and family-friendly entertainment.
Hip Monsters Present Robot Freedom
Focusing on the critical themes of safety, security, and accessibility for aspiring engineers, the Robot Freedom exhibit presented by Hip Monsters offers a hands-on exploration of artificial intelligence and autonomous robotics. Designed for both young novices and seasoned professionals, the installation features core concepts of machine learning through interactive modules.
At the "Talk To A Robot" station, participants can converse with a steampunk-inspired machine via keyboard input, dynamically switching between heuristic AI models, traditional chatbots, and large language models. By adjusting the behavioral alignment of the system from helpful to adversarial, visitors can observe firsthand how different AI architectures behave, where safety protocols encounter challenges, and how modern dialogue agents operate.
A companion exhibit, "Robots Making Decisions," showcases a larger autonomous robot designed to sense, analyze, and interact with its environment. Attendees can experiment with proximity sensors, RFID key cards, and wearable Bluetooth Low Energy devices while learning about agentic AI, peripheral security, and the manufacturing pipeline that takes a project from a simple cardboard prototype to production-ready resin and silicone-molded parts.
Yolo Maker Guys: Robots, Dragons, & Machines That Move
Representing a delightful convergence of curiosity and unpredictable engineering, the Yolo Maker Guys bring an eclectic mix of kinetic art, robotics, and imaginative contraptions to the event. Hailing from Yolo County, the collective showcases projects that defy rigid categorization, celebrating the joy of making with wood, metal, plastic, wire, and salvaged components.
Among the highlights is Dave’s "Cafebot," a mobile high-top table constructed upon a modified wheelchair base designed to facilitate social interaction and idea sharing. Another standout creation is "Copperbot," a kinetic art robot incorporating vintage vacuum tubes, hundreds of individually addressable LEDs, cameras, sensors, stereo audio systems, articulating wings, and an integrated cup holder. Alongside Doug’s whimsical 3D-printed clocks and neon-illuminated sculptures, the group presents a fleet of smaller, eccentric machines, including mobile tea kettles, googly-eyed gourds, speedy motorized hats, and roving alien figures.
Assista3d — A Maker in Every Town
Addressing the logistics of modern distributed manufacturing, Elijah Peralta—a machinist and maker from Apple Valley, California, who operates Assista CNC—brings a specialized industrial focus to the Maker Faire. Alongside demonstrations of a specialized six-axis robotic arm mounted on a three-axis gantry designed for the fast-food industry, Peralta is promoting Assista3d.
The initiative introduces a free, community-driven network designed to connect local 3D-printing enthusiasts, eliminating shipping costs for custom printed parts. The platform allows users to upload digital designs, receive instant price estimates, and automatically route jobs to the nearest participating maker for local pickup. Participating makers retain complete control over their pricing and keep all revenue generated. Visitors to the booth can experience live demonstrations of the instant-quotation engine, view real parts produced by local community members, and learn about the realities of bootstrapping a decentralized manufacturing marketplace as a solo founder.
Ascension AR From Nikki Alice
Building upon the success of last year’s Tesseract infinite mirror project, creator Nikki Alice returns to the Maker Faire with Ascension AR, an immersive large-scale installation. Standing eight feet tall—reaching 95 inches with its riser—the structure consists of a precisely engineered mirrored glass pyramid housing an internal LED panel.
The installation functions as a multi-dimensional kaleidoscope, reflecting geometric patterns infinitely to produce evolving symmetrical forms of light, color, and motion. By wearing an interactive augmented reality headset connected to a live 360-degree internal camera, participants are virtually enveloped within the sculpture. The digital environment responds dynamically to viewer movement and perspective, dissolving traditional boundaries between the observer and the artwork to create an experience centered on perception, reflection, and spatial transformation.
Get a Grip on Robotics!
Highlighting the accessibility of wearable technology and custom sensor design, 17-year-old high school student Advait Erigindindla presents a glove-controlled robotic hand. Self-taught in computer-aided design, electronics, and programming, the young builder engineered a system that translates human hand gestures into real-time robotic movement.
The project utilizes Velostat, a pressure-sensitive plastic material, configured into custom homemade flex sensors attached to a glove. As the user bends their fingers, the resistance changes, sending control signals to a 3D-printed robotic hand actuated by servo motors and fishing-line tendons. The exhibit serves as an inspiring demonstration for young aspiring engineers, showcasing how readily available materials can be combined to bridge biological gestures and mechanical actuation.
A Family Language Tutor: A Robot That Knows Who You Are and What You’re Learning
Combining advanced software engineering with personalized education, Palo Alto siblings Tatiana, Yaroslav, and Andrey Tsyplikhin present a specialized application for the Reachy Mini desktop robot kit. The family programmed the compact desktop robot to function as an interactive, adaptive language tutor capable of facial recognition.
Upon recognizing individual family members, the robot retrieves stored long-term memory data regarding each user’s previous learning progress, vocabulary focus, grammatical challenges, and past mistakes. It then initiates a spoken conversation tailored precisely to the user’s proficiency level. Integrating facial recognition, speech-to-text processing, large language model dialogue engines, and per-learner data storage, the project demonstrates how affordable hardware platforms can be customized for sophisticated domestic applications.
Crappy Happy Robots: A Maker Faire Favorite
Embracing the pure, unstructured joy of playful creation, the Crappy Happy Robots exhibit returns to champion the philosophy that mechanical creation does not require industrial perfection to be valuable. Featuring a collection of whimsical, flapping, waving, and spinning machines that prioritize playfulness over flawless utility, the installation includes returning favorites such as BoxCat, NeoPixie, and a miniature robot choir that visitors can program using color inputs. The project underscores the belief that building lighthearted, idiosyncratic devices fosters creativity across all age groups.
Rounding out the robust robotics showcase within the historic Foundry is a gathering of regional FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams. These student groups will demonstrate their competition robots, share their engineering processes, and engage in friendly demonstrations, providing visitors with a comprehensive view of robotics spanning from playful, experimental builds to sleek, highly optimized competitive machines.
