An Idea for Atlanta Mini-Makers Faire

Coming on Sep 10, there will be a mini-Makers Faire at Georgia Tech near downtown Atlanta.  http://www.makerfaireatl.com/Atlanta_Mini_Maker_Faire/Home.html  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atlanta-Mini-Maker-Faire/125609224187815 From the list of attendees, it will definately be small and the local robotics club (AHRC) has signed for a space.  So I volunteered as a helper but since this is the first one for Atlanta, the organizers of the mini-makers faire may not have a clear idea of their agenda or requirement per booth. 

The plan so far for the club is bring their robots and show them off.  This is a good start, but I am thinking that an interactive display may be needed.  Hopefully, a project that is quick to build, easy to operate, and appeals to the masses.  So far, I brainstormed and came up with a simple candy crane.  Afterall, everyone loves candy.  I will have to run it by the club to see if they are accepting of this.

With a candy crane, there are two types that I already have plans available for (see the earlier post titled Robo Crafts for Kids): the radial arm and the overhead crane.  Both of these projects should be easy to be done in a month. 

In addition, I can probably repurpose one of my child's construction toys to help out.  Hopefully, it has enough torque to lift up candy and turn.

Now if I can do two different cranes, I might be able to set up a "Hungry Hungry Hippos" type of battling game, but with candy.

Looks like I will need some clear acrylic and wood as an arena.  I will keep the blog posted with progress.