Press Release

Call to Makers Now Open for Maker Faire Detroit 2016 at The Henry Ford

Call for Entries Open through June 1, 2016

(Dearborn, MI – April 1, 2016) – Attention all makers, tinkerers, inventors, hackers and do-it-yourselfers: the call for entries is now open for Maker Faire Detroit 2016 at The Henry Ford. Now in its seventh year, the two-day, family-friendly event promises to bring makers from all over the nation to celebrate their unbridled creativity and resourcefulness through unique displays and hands-on activities. New this year, a 15-foot-tall giant robot will be brought to life as Megabots, Inc. makes its Maker Faire Detroit debut. Maker Faire Detroit will be held July 30-31, 2016, from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

For its seventh year, Maker Faire Detroit will be bringing in a giant-sized internally piloted humanoid robot from Megabots, Inc. to Henry Ford Museum. Using cutting-edge technology, this robot typically fights in epic-scale arena combat the likes of which the world has never seen before. Standing at 15-feet-tall, the robot can fire cannonball-sized paintballs at speeds of over 120 miles per hour.

Megabots will join the hundreds of makers from around the country that assemble at The Henry Ford each year for this wildly popular event. Maker Faire Detroit is looking for a wide variety of eclectic, diverse and out-of-the-box ideas that highlight the DIY and tinkerer spirit. Exhibits and displays can range from student projects, robotics, 3D printers and CNC mills, textile arts and crafts, home energy monitoring, rockets and R/C toys, sustainability, green tech, radios, vintage computers and game systems, electronics, electric vehicles, biology/biotech and chemistry projects, puppets, kites, bicycles, shelter (tents, domes, etc.), and unusual tools or machines. 

To participate in Maker Faire Detroit, an entry form must be completed at http://www.makerfairedetroit.com/call-for-makers. Entries can be submitted by individuals or by groups, such as hobbyist clubs and schools. The Henry Ford particularly encourages exhibits that are interactive and that highlight the process of making things. The closing date for all entries is June 1, 2016. 

For more information, visit our website at www.makerfairedetroit.com or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/makerfairedetroit. Maker Faire Detroit is independently produced by The Henry Ford in collaboration with Maker Media.

About The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan is an internationally-recognized history destination that explores the American experience of innovation, resourcefulness and ingenuity that helped shape America. A national historic landmark with an unparalleled Archive of American Innovation, The Henry Ford is a force for sparking curiosity and inspiring tomorrow’s innovators. More than 1.7 million visitors annually experience its five attractions: Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, The Ford Rouge Factory Tour, The Benson Ford Research Center and The Henry Ford Giant Screen Experience. A continually expanding array of content available online provides anytime, anywhere access. The Henry Ford is also home to Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school which educates over 500 students a year on the institution’s campus. In 2014, The Henry Ford premiered its first-ever national television series, The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation, showcasing present-day change-makers and The Henry Ford’s artifacts and unique visitor experiences. Hosted by news correspondent and humorist, Mo Rocca, this Emmy®-winning weekly half-hour show airs Saturday mornings on CBS. For more information please visit our website thehenryford.org.

About Maker Faire:
Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement.  It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.  Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers.  They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community. The original Maker Faire event was held in San Mateo, CA and in 2014 celebrated its ninth annual show with some 1100 makers and 130,000 people in attendance. World Maker Faire New York, the other flagship event, has grown in four years to 600+ makers and 80,000 attendees.  Detroit, Kansas City, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Orlando, Silver Spring, Paris, Rome, Oslo, Trondheim, Tokyo, Newcastle (UK), and Shenzhen are the home of larger-scale, “featured” Maker Faires and over 120 community-driven, independently organized Mini Maker Faires are now being produced around the United States and the world. 

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