Maker Faire Rome 2019 – 100,000 Square Metres of Innovation – What to Expect

It is just over a week until this years Maker Faire even in Rome and this is the largest even of its kind in Europe.

The fair will start on Friday, open to school groups only in the morning then fully opening at 2 pm.

This year there will be seven themed pavilions for an exhibition surface area of over 100,000 square metres. The subdivision of the pavilions proposed by the curators invites visitors to become active participants, already starting from their names: Re-think, Learn, Create, Discover, Make, Research.

During the Call for Makers over a thousand projects from over 40 countries were submitted with 600 being chosen for exhibition at the fair.

The main themes of the fair this year will be Circular economy, robotics and artificial intelligence, IoT – Internet of things, digital manufacturing, foodtech, agritech, smart mobility, sustainable building, virtual and augmented reality, space, technology in contemporary art, sportech, and edtech.

Circular Economy

With so many environmental concerns present at the moment it is not a surprise that Maker Faire will have a strong focus on becoming carbon and plastic-free.

All greenhouse gas emissions generated during the days of the event will be compensated through the planting of the Maker Faire forest thanks to the collaboration with the start-up zeroCO2, whose trees will be individually traced with a code and a system of georeferencing.   100% of the electricity used at the event will come from renewable sources.

Sportech

Sportech is a new theme this year, and something I am keen to check out. In the 300 square metres of Hall 6, it will be possible to see how innovations in materials, measurements and health are substantially changing performance, diffusion and culture in sports. All this by offering opportunities for job development, often with very high scientific content and in research: topics that will be the subject of debates and presentations in the “speech corner” located in front of the stands. But in the new “Sportech” pavilion, along with seeing, one can also play using these technologies: there will be a 2vs2 football field, a streetball field, a sprint track with blocks and telemetry and a corner ring boxing where one can train with a “smart bag” capable of evaluating each punch.

Robotics

Robotics and AI are always two of the biggest themes at any Maker Fair and this year the exhibition area is up from 400 square meters in 2017 to over a thousand last year, with a sharp increase in the number of prototypes and dedicated conferences, to arrive this year at an entire exhibition pavilion dedicated to these issues in which one can admire more than 70 projects, many of which from abroad.

Artificial Intelligence

There will also be a dedicated space with 20 projects on display dedicated to the applications and potential of artificial intelligence systems.

Among the demonstrations of artificial intelligence systems, Maker Faire Rome will also host a triangular tournament of robot footballers “RoboCup” (www.robocup.org) involving the teams of Rome’s Sapienza University and two other universities from Switzerland and Germany as protagonists. A tournament in which humanoid robotic systems, completely autonomous, will be rivals in football matches, putting to the test methods and techniques of artificial intelligence at the state of the art.

Space

The 2019 edition of Maker Faire Rome will host a large section oriented to the space sector, with the aim of concentrating the disciplines, activities and achievements related to or arising from the space sector. The exploration of Mars will be the main theme of the exhibition area. The fundamental role that Italian science has in the choice of landing sites for future human missions will be presented and attention will be focused on current plans, also thanks to some one-of-a-kind installations.

Food & Agritech

There will be 30 innovative solutions for the agri-food sector with a focus on innovation in food and circular economy.

Various solutions will be presented here concerning new frontiers of the ice cream industry, the production of new food supplements, such as black garlic or the packaging of aperitifs in gel pearls, intended for the innovative happy hour market. There will also be solutions for the circular economy and sustainability, such as the production of bioplastic containers made from dairy residues, the production of isolating films that avoid treatments with herbicides, intelligent machines for composting the wet fraction of waste, the production of nanomembranes made from fibres using extracts of prickly pear leaves.

Tickets and Times

Maker Faire Rome starts on Friday 18th of October, in the morning it is only open to school groups, but will be open to the public from 2 pm.

It is then open from 10 am to 7 pm until Sunday the 20th of October

Tickets are extremely affordable at just 12-Euros for a single day or 23-Euros for all three and you can order them online at https://2019.makerfairerome.eu/en/ticket/

Reduced priced tickets are available for families, students and locals.

Free tickets are available for children under 4 and people with a certification of invalidity.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.