Fourth edition of 'Maker Fest' to kick off tomorrow

The fourth edition of the Indian version of "Maker Faire", a fest launched in 2006 in USA showcasing community-friendly products attempting to solve problems through the use of innovations and creativity, will begin in the city tomorrow.
Called 'Maker Fest' in India, the event will be held at the Ahmedabad University campus where a total 150 makers and 25 startups will display their innovations, the organisers said.
"The idea to organise 'Maker Fest' is to display products of people who attempt to solve problems through innovative means. The power of the Maker movement lies in its philosophy of unconditional giving and problem solving," said US-based angel investor and entrepreneur Asha Jadeja Motwani.

"Its primary aim is to spark off creativity and instil confidence in people to take risk with their ideas--risks not just in terms of money but also time and passion," she said.
The event will have 45 technical and non-technical workshops and will be addressed by fifteen speakers, including Emeka Okefor of TED.Com who created Makerfaire Africa, V Sunil, the design brain behind the 'Make in India' movement, among others, she said.
The event is inspired by a similar event held in the Silicon Valley in US' California called 'Makers Faire', which began in 2006 and now has chapters across USA, Europe, Japan and Africa.

It was brought in India in 2013 by Motwani, an angel investor and entrepreneur herself.
Some of the products that have been displayed at the event are an LPG stove that tells its users when it needs refilling, waste management solutions for landfills, among others.
It will also see a display by 8-year-old child prodigy Saarang Sumesh, who has devised a "smart seat belt" that has an additional safety for the elderly and children, organisers said.