Would you like to play a game?

A few days ago, Arduino co-inventor Massimo Banzi spoke at the University of Michigan, as part of a lecture series sponsored by the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design.  In addition to throngs of art students, there were indeed a few die-hard electronics nerds in the audience. It seemed like the perfect time to do two things:

1: Give away a bunch of little laser-cut Arduino protectors. Attached to the bottom of the otherwise-bare Arduino board, this is a cheap-and-cheerful way to avoid short circuits when absentmindedly setting the board down.

2: Tease some of the clever folks in the audience into playing a little puzzle, which was previously hinted at. The reward for the first to finish is a month of membership at i3Detroit.

Here’s where you come in: Even with a free month of membership on the line, nobody’s solved all of the steps yet! So it’s time to officially open it up to players who weren’t at the lecture.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The puzzle is open to any non-member, no purchase or anything necessary, but you’ll need to be local and 18+ to claim the prize. If not, feel free to play for fun anyway!
• If you want to co-solve with a physical friend, that’s cool, but please don’t share solutions over the internet. (Let ‘em work for it!)
• You’ll probably need to get your hands on an Arduino to solve one of the steps. If you don’t own one, perhaps you could use one at a nearby hackerspace….

[updated 4/21 to reflect that current i3detroit members can play for fun but not claim the prize.]

What you need to know about participating in the Red Bull madness

What’s this insanity all about?

Last year, i3 Detroit did so well in all 3 phases of the Red Bull Creation challenge (the puzzle board, the Chronotune, and the final 72-hour build in New York City), that we automatically prequalified for the finals this year. But unlike last year’s 4-person teams, this year anyone can — and should — participate!

So who’s going to New York?

Nobody! This year, the Creation takes place at individual spaces across the country. Red Bull sent us some video equipment to stream our build. That means that anyone who walks into i3 Detroit this weekend is part of it!

What are we making?

We don’t know yet! The theme will be revealed at 9:00 tonight. Then the clock starts, and we have 72 hours to conceive and create … whatever!

What should I expect if I drop in?

Expect to be involved! Whatever skills you have, they might be useful, and the only way to find out is to show up and dive in..

Also, expect a bit of paperwork! In addition to i3′s guest waiver, Red Bull’s production company has a release/waiver form that must be signed by anyone who might appear in our video stream. Please review it before dropping in. Regardless, expect around-the-clock activity, as we design and build and scramble for parts. There may be food, there may be news crews, it’s anyone’s guess!

Why?

Guts, glory, and cash: The prize purse is $10,000. And for the same reason we do anything else — because it’s just plain fun!

Red Bull Creation Challenge 2012 is Here!

Redbull is one of the few companies that really do an excellent job engaging the maker/hacker community. Their 72-hour build-a-thon challenges always generate really creative results. This year’s should be no different. Your favorite hackerspace (hint: that’s us!) is a finalist again this year. However, things will be a bit different this year and hopefully for the better. This time, RedBull is coming to the finalists and will be livestreaming the event online. You’ll be able to watch us build, hack, create, laugh, smile and hopefully win.

The nation-wide synchronized creation challenge starts Thursday, the 19th at 9PM EST, and goes for 72 hours straight through the weekend. Point your browser to http://creation.redbullusa.com/ creation to watch the chaos ensue at i3 Detroit and the 11 other hackerspaces, shops, and homes around the US. Press release follows:

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TechShop Grand Opening & People Mover Design Challenge

Hans, Micho, Kristine, and Belvedere next to the Puppy Powered, Steampunk Chariot!

TechShop Detroit held their Grand Opening Celebration this weekend on May 5–6, 2012.

For their People Mover Design Challenge, they generously offered use of their makerspace, classes, and the help of their very knowledgeable staff to a joint i3 Detroit / District VII team composed of Kristine Diven, Micho Detronik, and Hans Chen.

Working out of all three spaces—i3 Detroit, District VII, and TechShop Detroit—they created a puppy-powered, steampunk chariot that wowed the judges and won first place!

President Matt Oehrlein was also invited to speak at the panel “Putting the D in DIY”.

A big thank you to TechShop and all its Detroit and out-of-state staff for their amazing hospitality, generosity, and making us such an important part of their opening!

i3 Detroit Power Racing Series 2012 Teaser

We’ve been putting blood sweat and tears into our most advanced power wheels racer yet. Here’s a little video we took during our latest benchmarking test. We’ve reduced our drag coefficient by over 40%! We can verify this because we have fancy expensive equipment which measure this!