With Dublin Maker taking place in the grounds of Trinity College Dublin this Saturday (25 July), here are 7 ‘Twitterati’ tech makers who more often than not make some pretty cool things, whether it’s to help kids learn about STEM, or just build cool things that have an everyday purpose.
David McKeown (@dj_mckeown)
It might seem an obvious place to start, but one of the leading tech makers for this weekend’s Dublin Maker is rocket scientist and lecturer David McKeown, who is not only quite good at making some pretty cool things, but can also spin a good science yarn while he’s at it.
Aside from gathering all of Ireland’s best innovators and makers into one spot in Dublin every year, David is also pretty active when it comes to helping out with another major Dublin-based tech event, Science Hack Day Dublin which will be taking place between 14 and 15 November.
Writing a talk. I want one of those white makers that write on windows to plan it out. Instead I have untitled.txt pic.twitter.com/xyiXqIoDSs
— David McKeown (@dj_mckeown) July 13, 2015
Anouk Wipprecht (@AnoukWipprecht)
In one of the year’s most eye-catching pieces of fashion, designer and lover of all things tech Anouk Wipprecht has managed to build up quite a CV working with companies like Intel in developing her unique line of clothing.
Taking just one example, the Dutch designer’s spider dress using the concept of the internet of things (IoT) to create a sensor-laden dress that reacts to its surroundings wowed audiences last April at the Lifelogging Exhibition that happened in the Science Gallery Dublin. She is also the founder of the Technosensual ‘Where Fashion meets Technology’ Exhibition that showcases other examples of when high tech meets the fashion world.
#1 ‘Wearables’ in the #nerd101 between awesome tinkerers, hackers and technologists, in awe! @vrij_nederland thx <3 pic.twitter.com/1lalLQxIA3 — Anouk Wipprecht (@AnoukWipprecht) June 11, 2015
Chris Anderson (@chr1sa)
Chris Anderson is pretty high up the food chain when it comes to the maker scene, but unlike some other CEOs and executives in the scene, Chris is quite the ardent Twitter user, posting some pretty interesting stuff. Chris is both the CEO of 3D Robotics as well as founder of DIY Drones, a site that offers drone enthusiasts all the sources of equipment they need to build and fly their own drones. He even once played in the band REM (no, not the one with Michael Stipe, a lesser-known band of the same name).
Working on an autonomous racing go-kart with @JamieNoTweet and @carlbass at Carl’s amazing workshop pic.twitter.com/uXNvOfnu90 — Chris Anderson (@chr1sa) July 19, 2015
Ayah Bdeir (@ayahbdeir)
Ayah Bdeir is pretty keen on getting kids of all ages interested in building electronics with the help of her own creation called littleBits. The concept is pretty simple and comprises a number of basic blocks that snap together with magnets for prototyping, making it possible for people of all ages to build anything from music synthesisers to cloud and Wi-Fi-controlled objects, such as doorbells and thermostats. Speaking to Siliconrepublic.com last November, she was already excited that how her creation was beginning to be used in schools and sold commercially and only in the last few days she has launched littleBits’ first physical store where children can come to build and buy their own creations.
Incredible to watch #bitOlympics! https://t.co/bAjKzuFLB4 happening as we speak! http://t.co/HpRDaHAosP @littleBits https://t.co/Pve7IY3d68
— ayah bdeir (@ayahbdeir) July 10, 2015
Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh (@janeonbike)
This list couldn’t omit Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh, one of Ireland’s biggest success stories on the maker field of recent year with her Sugru creation, a mouldable glue that wants to make it big in the DIY and toy markets. Profiled recently on Siliconrepublic.com, the London-based designer was quoted as saying “this is the time of the makers” and, based off the fact that Sugru just raised £3,548,820 from 2,700 investors in a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube after initially setting out to raise £1m, this would appear to be the case. Catch up with Jane and all the happenings of the London maker scene through her account.
MT @sugru: 6 months pregnant (direct result of being #distractinglysexy!), Clare is glam as ever in the #Sugru lab pic.twitter.com/AcvM01kPaO
— Jane ni Dhulchaointi (@janeonbike) June 11, 2015
Joey Hudy (@Joey_Hudy)
Taking things to the younger makers, one who has certainly earned some admirers during his time, including US President Barack Obama, is 17-year-old Joey Hudy. Travelling both in the US and internationally, Joey is somewhat obsessed with the maker scene and, despite his young age, spends much of his time working for Intel and promoting the California-based Maker Faire. He even has developed his own slogan: “Don’t be bored… make something!”
Spend the afternoon working with @juliehudy on our @Makeblock laser cutter. FUN pic.twitter.com/P2nJkhGArq — Joey Hudy (@Joey_Hudy) July 3, 2015
Super-Awesome Sylvia (@MakerSylvia)
If there’s one thing Super-Awesome Sylvia (as she calls herself) isn’t lacking, it’s an enormous sense of confidence as a trailblazing teenager in all things hardware and design, all while clearly having a lot of fun.
Just 14-years-old, Sylvia is as close to a role model as you would want for a child looking to move into the maker world, having already established herself as an author and video host of her own series of maker tutorial videos, particularly using an Arduino board.
Her Twitter feed is a lot of fun it has to be said and a great place to see some of her teenage peers building some pretty cool and varied creations.
Ok I redid it. It’s now a cyborg doll. pic.twitter.com/5njdYUC6gi
— Super-Awesome Sylvia (@MakerSylvia) July 15, 2015
LittleBits creation image via Ultra-lab/Flickr
