More than 50 unique, creative, and innovative student projects were showcased during the 5th annual Maker Takeover, the Maker Hub’s largest celebration.
Walking into the Moseley Center during Maker Takeover exuded an immediate aura of pure imagination and fun. The air was filled with a buzz of creativity as makers of all ages displayed their ambitious and playful creations, whether they were practical, adorable, or breathtakingly inventive.
As usual, the staff from the Maker Hub made the festivities even more exciting with additional fun, like people walking around with Cheerwine-flavored nitrogen ice cream, laughter from students playing Super Mario Kart and designing their custom tee shirts, and curious conversations between guests and dozens of innovative makers.
“The energy from Maker Takeover was exciting. You could truly feel the enthusiasm from everyone,” said Dan Reis, senior instructional technologist and manager of the Maker Hub. “The Maker Hub Student Consultants loved showing off their projects to their friends. They talk about the Maker Hub all the time, so finally exhibiting their projects to the people who are important in their lives is really meaningful.”
Owen Crider ’26 is one of these students. He is a Cinema and Television Arts major on the Saws Team at the Downtown Maker Hub, and he has spent months making a unique instrument.
“I love playing the banjo, and I wanted a version that I could beat up, paint, and not take too seriously, so I made this Guitanjagon,” Crider said. “It’s a guitar because of its acoustic body composition, a banjo because of the strings, and it’s my favorite shape — hexagonal. I used the Maker Hub’s saws and laser engraver to cut and design the instrument, I learned new and simple ways to paint, and I’m excited to use all these new skills for future projects.”
The 2023-2024 Kickbox recipients also displayed the projects they researched, prototyped, built, and revised throughout the spring.
First-year Computer Science major Murilo Lopes ’27 utilized the Kickbox program and the Maker Hub’s resources to combine artificial intelligence, computer science, and world languages to make a robot that can teach American Sign Language.
“Right now, we’ve completed the first step and have the initial prototype for the hand, showing off the hardware, the flexibility, and how it moves,” Lopes said. “Eventually, we’ll combine it with machine learning to see if the person interacting with the robot is signing correctly; if they are, they’ll move on to the next stage, but if not, they can try again or try a different word. There are lots of opportunities for us to build on the foundation we’re laying.”
Two senior students, Sofia Balance ’24 and Emma Farrell ’24, teamed up to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, starting with stylized hats. “We realized there was a lack of diversity in the hat market, and we wanted to do something for women that’s unique, dynamic, and sophisticated,” Balance said.
“One of my professors, Ben Hannam, recommended Kickbox, and I thought it would be awesome since it offers funding, is a guided process, and is a perfect option to start a process for something bigger,” Farrell said. “We tried reaching out to third-party vendors for help, but we ended up doing all the work ourselves, designing, making, and applying heat-activated vinyl, which we could only do because of the Maker Hub.”
Visit the Maker Hub website for more information about the Hub’s happenings, the Kickbox program and project updates, and more. For a closer look, follow the Maker Hub on Instagram @elonmakers or visit one of their two locations in the Colonnades E building or downtown above Pandora’s Pies.