PopTech : Blog : Dominic Muren on why makers matter

Dominic Muren on why makers matter

Emily Spivack ( Bio / Posts ) | Tuesday, January 10, 2012 UTC

2011 Social Innovation Fellow Dominic Muren is looking out for the makers of the world, the people "that are creating things that the market can't create for them because it won't or can't." His organization, Humblefactory, develops tools and design approaches which assist these folks where mainstream manufacturing can't because of the large-scale capital, space, or scope that tends to be required.

During Muren's PopTech talk, he walks through a number of examples of makers that are carving their own path -- and those who have been helped along by Humblefactory. Follow along with links to these makers, craftspeople, and DIY-ers as you watch Muren's PopTech talk.

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories and their Eggbot, an open-source art robot that can draw on spherical or egg-shaped objects from the size of a ping pong ball to that of a small grapefruit
The DODO iPad case, the "Rolls Royce of iPad cases"
Suzanne Lee and the bacteria cellulose fabric she uses to create clothing
RepRap, the 3-D desktop printer and community project focused on making self-replicating machines
The Skin-Skeleton-Guts manufacturing framework, which allows hardware to be repaired, upgraded, or customized much more easily than existing devices

As Muren concludes, these project matter because, "someday a maker might make you smile, someday a maker might save your job, someday a maker might save your city. Maybe someday you'll be a maker."

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