Packing My Bags (and My Curiosity) for Maker Faire Rome

The day is finally here! I’m hitting the road with Editor-in-Chief Keith Hammond for Maker Faire Rome—an event I’ve wanted to attend for years. Why am I so excited?

1. As content lead for Maker Faire Bay Area, I am always on the lookout for new makers and community connections.
2. It’s Maker Faire’s landmark European event, and I can’t wait to see how they do it.
3. Frankly, everyone loves it!

I’ve done my homework with the map and exhibitor list, and I’ve picked my top ten must-see projects. This is a completely personal list, but I’ll tell you why each one stands out. Here they are, in alphabetical order for clarity!

14 Peaks, Free Solo, The Alpinist . . . no thank you. While I think climbing is an amazing sport and challenge, I cannot stomach these films—but if I knew they were using an ALPINE, that might change things. ALPINE introduces a novel solution to a long-standing challenge: How can you safely and efficiently perform complex maintenance tasks on steep, hazardous terrains like rock walls, where drones lack endurance and precision, and where traditional climbing robots are too slow or limited.

AMMILAB uses modern technology and ingenuity to conserve and revitalize pre-radio musical media. Their innovative projects, from custom scanners to listening stations, creatively bridge the gap between historical artifact and public engagement. I am hoping their project Puncher is there, as it reminds me of our nineteenth-century upright polyphone.

I’m dating myself, but I learned to drive in a Fiat Panda on the backroads of 1990s Kalocsa, Hungary—a thrill made sweeter because it would have been illegal back in the States AND without my parents’ knowledge. The Cyberpandino, however, is a different beast: a vintage vehicle upgraded with state-of-the-art electronics, already proven on road trials from Italy to Kazakhstan!

DeLucaLabs is a group of friends who turn their passion for tech into incredible collaborative projects. Their standout exhibit is a modified Telecaster guitar equipped with 818 RGB LEDs, creating a stunning light show that can be controlled manually or synced to music. Fingers crossed they also bring their mesmerizing nixie clocks—I’m a total sucker for them!

Growing up as a photographer’s daughter, my father’s darkroom was in the basement of our 1780s farmhouse. The DokaLab kit feels light years ahead. It delivers a simple, sustainable, and creative process with essentials made from biodegradable cardboard—a modern reimagining of a classic craft.

A new vision for education starting from robotics and AI, their mission says it all: “To make the world excited about the beauty, the fun, the importance, and the challenges of robotics and AI, through learning experiences that are tangible, accessible, and inclusive.”

Students from the Marconi Institute have channeled their passion for electronics and computer science into developing MRE, a semi-autonomous underwater rover. Utilizing AI and computer vision, the robot is designed to monitor seabeds and protect vital seagrass, like Posidonia Oceanica. Having previously created food waste monitoring systems, I am particularly interested in how this technology could be adapted for monitoring and conservation efforts on my local Grand Bahama Bank.

For three young students from Novara, the fight against breast cancer began in the classroom. Their project, “MAV d-IA-gnosis,” aims to use artificial intelligence for early detection, inspired by the millions of women facing the disease each year. Applying passion and rigor, they studied public datasets and trained convolutional neural networks to analyze medical images.

A visit to Italy would be incomplete without mentioning pasta. This device, a smart pot lid, is designed by a FabLab to monitor and perfectly cook pasta every time. I must confess, I am quite looking forward to sampling its capabilities this weekend.

A self-built, 3D-printed robot that interacts with its environment using cameras, sensors, and robotic arms. It exemplifies the “ maker journey” by synthesizing a wide spectrum of skills—from design and fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting) to custom electronics (PCB printing) and software (Arduino/Android)—into a single, innovative, and whimsical project. Kudos to its maker, Fabio!

That’s all for now folks it is time to pack!