EMERGENT MEDIA CENTER MAKES A GOOD IMPRESSION AT CHAMPLAIN MINI MAKER FAIRE

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Shelburne, VT – On September 26-27, 2015, Shelburne Farms held the annual Champlain Mini Maker Faire. The faire went on to celebrate maker culture; allowing everyone to witness masterpieces that stem from the creative minds of institutions and DIY households. In response to the faire’s mission, Champlain College’s Emergent Media Center attended to show case the creativity and innovation that is exerted daily in the Emergent Media Center and MakerLab space – from individual student projects to the collaborative project Champ robot.

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It was great to see that adults and children both enjoyed playing Variance.

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the Emergent Media Center display table

In the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn there were tables that displayed experiments of science, art, engineering, performance and craft. Sitting at the Emergent Media Center’s table were a number of projects done by Champlain College students. There were wood and acrylic sculptures that demonstrated the ability of the Epilog laser mini, a 60 watt laser cutter as well as powder/liquid 3D prints generated by the 3D Systems ProJet 4500 and MakerBot Replicator. People who walked into the coach barn were able to observe the Emergent Media Center’s table and get an in depth description of the process it takes to create projects at the MakerLab. There to assist them were Emergent Media Center Employees, including the Sandbox Team – a team of Emergent Media and MakerLab employees who specialize in interactive art. Along with the sculpture projects stood Variance, a 3 person collaborative which required actions such as biking, and voice recognition to manipulate the characters in the video game.

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Beautiful scenery at Shelburne Farms

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A crowd of people gathered to witness the Champbot Battle

 

There is no doubt that this two day experience at Shelburne Farms was unforgettable. From the vivid scenery of a mountainous skyline meeting the vast great lake to the numerous people who sat to enjoy  the Champbot Battle – the Mini Maker Faire gave everyone a chance to appreciate all that is creative and aesthetic.

 

 

The Champbot battle was an entertaining experience with robots in all sizes that mirrored the image of the lake monster Champ. In order to win, the robots had to finish an obstacle course that required navigation – being able to turn slightly enough to proceed right and left around 5 buoys, and perform optional features such as being able to blow fire at a target, and accurately placing an object into a floating target.

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the Sandbox Team

 

Stay tuned to the Emergent Media Center blog to see our upcoming post about the winning champbots – featuring our very own, which came in second place!