Makers
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Chip Pro is a $16 computer empowering makers to build IoT gadgets
Say you want to create the next generation of voice recognition-enabled, AI-ensmartened, buzzword-laden gadget. The fist thing you need to do is pick a platform. Arduino isn’t powerful enough. The Raspberry Pi works great for prototyping, but going from Pi to production is a many-step process. Next Thing’s Chip Pro is stepping up to fill the gap with a smart development kit for… Read More
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National Science Foundation allots $1.5M to kid-focused maker projects
To celebrate 2016’s Week of Making (don’t tell me you forgot!), the National Science Foundation has awarded a total of $1.5 million to five small projects looking to get kids involved with STEM topics, creative play and generally making stuff. Read More
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Crunch Network
Micromanufacturing the future
Micromanufacturing. As soon as I finish typing the word, my Grammarly spell checker promptly underscores it in red and suggests a replacement: “micro-manufacturing.” But this new spelling is about to go mainstream. When I say micromanufacturing, I don’t mean making tiny (micro-scale) components. There’s another definition at work here: “Micromanufacturing is… Read More
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Crunch Network
Cities drive the maker movement
Bringing back local industry to cities helps build strong local economies and strengthens our workforce. The maker movement is encouraging entrepreneurs to share ideas, and the city is the central place where it lives, breathes, and succeeds. Read More
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#MakeAndTell
Last week a 14-year-old boy brought a tech project to school setting off a wave of controversy. He is a Maker and he wanted to show his teacher a fun thing he put together. The resulting reaction was typical of today’s Internet praise and outrage cycle. On one side the Maker community has banded together to show the boy that his desire to build was important. On the other side, some… Read More
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14-Year-Old Boy Arrested For Bringing Homemade Clock To School
A 14-year-old boy in Irving, Texas named Ahmed Mohamed was taken into police custody after he brought a homemade clock to school. The boy, who, according to a piece in the Dallas Morning News, “makes his own radios and repairs his own go-kart,” wanted to show his engineering teacher his handiwork. School officials originally thought his clock was a bomb and now are simply calling it… Read More
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Crunch Network
Enabling Makers To Create “The Next Big Thing”
Makers have long been known as hobbyists or tinkers. However, with increased access to professional-grade tools, the maker movement is transforming business as usual. Through collaboration and connectivity, makers are inspiring innovation on a daily basis with the creation of smart gadgets, machines, robots and wearables. Read More
Latest Crunch Report
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TC Makers: We Learn How MarkForged Prints Unbreakable Objects
We first met the folks at MarkForged at CES where they showed us their printer that could create nearly unbreakable objects. By weaving carbon fiber between layers of plastic, the team made some of the coolest 3D printed objects we’ve ever seen. I went to Boston where we met MarkForged’s founder Greg Mark who walked us through his workshop from start to finish. There we saw… Read More
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Why Don’t Makers Have Higher Social Status?
Matt Burns wrote about a situation at his son’s school last week that could have happened almost anywhere in the United States. The school had organized a career day, and his son, who is seven years old, told his teachers he wanted to be a video game designer one day. His teacher’s response was not to be enthusiastic, but rather to dismiss the goal, saying that his son should… Read More
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TC Makers: Your World-Changing Project Could Send You To Space
Usually on TC Makers we visit a team or factory building something incredible. Now, however, we’re showcasing an incredible opportunity for you guys. The venerable Hackaday has announced what they are calling the Hackaday Prize. The goal is to get individuals or teams to work on projects that will change the world and the best one wins amazing trip: a space flight on the carrier of… Read More
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TC Makers: We Sample The Goods At The Dogfish Head Brewery
Beer is my favorite food. That means I was especially excited to be able to visit the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, DE, a palace dedicated to the production of some of the nicest beers around. Sam Calagione, founder of the company, wanted to make weird beers at his restaurant on the beach. As he got better – and bolder – he began experimenting with all sorts of amazing… Read More
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TC Makers: Inside The IT Room Of A High-Tech Cruise Ship
In order to prevent electrical fires, cables on a ship can’t be spliced. This means that a cable that starts at one end of the massive Quantum Of The Seas, Royal Caribbean’s latest pleasure ship, has to be over 1,139 feet long to reach the other end. That’s a lot of cable and it’s a lot of cable management. Welcome to the world of on-ship IT, a discipline with its… Read More
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TechCrunch Makers: Bonobos Headquarters Ramps Up For The Holidays
When I first approached Bonobos for an episode of TC Makers I was convinced I’d be able to visit a huge warehouse at the edge of town where a gaggle of monkeys was sewing together travel jeans and hipster flannel. Instead, I was invited into a relatively small New York office where designers, web folks, and customer service representatives were working on selling clothing on the… Read More
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Designer Builds A 3D-Printable “Imura Revolver” In Honor Of Arrested Japanese Maker
When Japanese police arrested Yoshitomo Imura for printing his own revolvers, 3D printing advocates in some circles were up in arms. The guns, which only fired blanks, were simple test models called the Zig-Zag. Now, in honor of Imura’s work in 3D printing, a CAD designer has created a newer, better gun that could be used to fire real bullets. The designer, who calls himself WarFairy… Read More
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TC Makers: TechShop, The SF Workshop Where Hardware Is Born
I get to meet some amazing people during our TC Makers shoots and TechShop CEO Mark Hatch is no exception. A former Green Beret, Hatch is the kind of guy who can build a PCB in the morning and run a million-dollar network of amazing technology workshops in the afternoon. TechShop, which began in Menlo Park and expanded across the country, is a membership-based workshop where anyone can learn to… Read More
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TC Makers: Making The Future With The Team At Formlabs
A few weeks ago I visited the headquarters of Formlabs in Somerville, Mass. where I had the pleasure of meeting the entire team in their small – but growing – workshop. There I saw a repair bay, research room, and even a molecular lab where materials scientists are hard at work making new solutions for the company’s unique SLA printer. When I first met the guys from… Read More
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Tindie, The Gadgets Marketplace For Makers, Ramps Up
I met Emile Petrone, the raffish owner of gadget marketplace Tindie, a few weeks ago and he told me that I would like his site. It turns out I really do. Part maker community and part amazing e-shop, Tindie is where good handcrafted gadgets go to become businesses. It’s basically a cool place to find electronics projects for you and yours including sections for kids, musicians, and even… Read More
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TC Makers: A Walk Through The Amazing Townhouse That Grado Labs Calls Home
Grado Labs appears to be a much bigger company than it is. Founded 60 years ago by Joseph Grado, the company made millions of phonograph cartridges in its long history and, during the rise of portable music, hit pay dirt by making some of the best-sounding headphones in the business. Where is this company located? In some massive office park in the depths of New Jersey? In a manufacturing town… Read More
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