Indiegogo is committed to accessibility. If you have difficulty using our site, please contact support@indiegogo.com for assistance or view our accessibility notice by clicking here

🍞 Sourdough Sidekick is LIVE. Back it now.

This campaign is closed

Learn 3D Printed Robotics: MakerClub

Use our projects to learn skills in 3D printing, coding and electronics.

Learn 3D Printed Robotics: MakerClub

Use our projects to learn skills in 3D printing, coding and electronics.

1 Campaign |

Brighton, United Kingdom

$17,043 USD $17,043 USD by 162 backers

$15,641 USD by 151 backers on Dec 5, 2014

Story

FAQ

Updates 23

Comments 74

Thanks for helping us reach our target!

We teach people how to create and invent their own technology.

There's a Problem...

Most people reading this at home on their laptops don't fully understand the technology behind this webpage: the hardware, the thousands of lines of code, and the man hours, that make it possible for it to be read all round the world. We rely so much on our smartphones, tablets and apps everyday, but very few people can create and invent this technology.

So if we don't teach design, electronics and coding, who will make the next disruptive technologies like 3D printers, Hoverboards and biofuels? Where would we be without great inventors & innovators like Alexander Graham Bell and Tim Berners-Lee?

Solution...

We at @MakerClub believe that a love of technology is a love of invention, innovation and creativity.

We have developed a better way to teach today’s learners tomorrow’s skills - by making engaging 3D printed robots that inspire creativity through hands on learning.

Seeing how lines of code translate into the physical movement of a robot turns your theoretical knowledge into a hobby you can use to invent, create & share!

No prior knowledge? No problem! We’ll guide you through every step with our online gamified learning platform, there’s no soldering and our robots are all controlled via our smartphone app and chip, the MakerConnect. Learn the basics and there's no limit to what you can build!

How it Works

Our range of robots are made with interchangeable components and are ready to build straight from the box, or directly from your 3D printer - we send you the electronics, provide the support and give you access to our 'gamified' learning system on the Maker Club website (to be accessible in 2015), where you'll earn points as you build and create your way to 'robo-nirvana'.

Once you've learnt the basics, you can upload and sell your own bots, whilst we take care of the component shipping. This way, we hope to expand our library with new 'Botlings' everyday!

MakerConnect: Our Smartphone App and Microchip

It's a basic microcontroller and companion App that allow the wireless control of potentially any Arduino based project over Bluetooth LE (Low energy). Once powered up, it seamlessly connects to the MakerConnect smartphone app and you're ready to go! Our chip and Arduino library are geared up for robotic control, like hexapods, RC cars and robotic arms, but why stop there? Control your household lights, add sensors and hack your home - the possibilities are limitless!

The MakerConnect App

Compatible with both Android and iPhone, we've designed our app so it's colourful, bright and bold so that younger makers can learn the basics and control their new robot friends with ease.

So far we've developed 5 controllers, we are now putting these to work, testing and perfecting the App.

By harnessing the power of your smartphone, our App will be capable of connecting to 'The Cloud' and allowing data to be transmitted from the robots to our website and then shared in real time!

If you don't have a 3D printer, don't stress!

We are printing out parts for you and sending them to you with the box of components and instructions. Just remember to select this as an option when contributing.

Take a look at the Grabber being built in the video below!

For the Makers

While our projects are easily accessible to beginners, they are also great for experienced Makers who want to hone specific skills or learn new ones. As we teach 3D design & 3D printing, coding and electronics, you will be able to prototype pretty much any gadget you can dream up!

Our MakerConnect chip and App can be used to control almost ANY Arduino-based project you create or already own.
Instead of using over-simplified, proprietary parts all our projects are made from quality, industry-level electronics as to give learners experience with the actual, real-world components. As we buy in bulk we can pass the savings onto the customer.
For the digital designers - all our CAD files are open source and we send you them upon purchase, meaning you can endlessly customise our projects. Make a new hand for the Grabber, a sweet chassis for the Carduino, or a GoPro mount for the Quadmonster - the skies the limit!

Are you experienced?

Maybe you feel you have nothing to learn from our projects - you're an experienced Maker, inventor or educator who's been building projects for years. Our projects give you the perfect opportunity to share your knowledge with others!

Bring them in to show & tell at your local FabLab and Makerspace
Use them in the Classroom to jazz up the curriculum
Bring your kids into your shed/workshop and get them started with our child-friendly kits.

MakerClub in the Press:

Techcrunch: MakerClub helps you learn 3D Printed Robotics

Wired: How Robots and 3D Printing are Making Coding Fun

Forbes: Brighton Startup Rectifying Lack of Engineering in Schools

Inside 3D Printing: Indiegogo Campaign The Maker Club Offering Project to Teach 3D-Printed Robotics

Gizmag: Maker Club is hoping to start a 3D-printed home robot revolution

3D Print Industry: Maker Club is hoping to start a 3D-printed home robot revolution

3Ders: Learn to code, design & build 3D printed bots with Maker Club's app & learning system

A Better Way to Learn

We think 3D printers are the key to a whole new world of engaging education. Our projects make that dream possible. Linking 3D design, coding and electronics to create cross-curricular learning tools that are relevant to young people's lives.

After speaking with hundreds of children across dozens of schools and science events, we've found that our projects can increase engagement in coding lessons and really get kids excited about the amazing possibilities of technology.

Our kits use the same components that the professionals use to prototype their hardware. This means that once young makers have gotten to grips with our robots, they can start using the thousands of commercially available sensors and outputs to prototype their own inventions!

We are now working with educators and innovators to make our projects fully compatible with the UK national curriculum and hope to get our first batch of robots into secondary schools for the September 2015 term. We see this as the logical next step for all the fantastic work done in Code Club.

With part of the IndieGoGo money we will continuing to work on the gamifictaion of our step-by-step guides and hope to start including an online collaborative element within 6 months of the end of our campaign.

We've been up and down the country, showing off our bits and bots and we were part of this year’s Brighton Maker Faire - here's a little video about one of the workshops we ran...

Our Story

Founder and CEO of Maker Club, Simon Riley, began his own Maker journey at university. Although he finished with a master’s in electronic engineering and computer science, he felt disillusioned with the way it was taught to him – it was stripped down to just numbers and figures, with no creativity, and most importantly, no fun.

As Simon came from a family of teachers and educators, he knew that learning could be an engaging and fascinating process, and that teaching should be about inspiring curiosity and creativity, rather than copy-and-pasting knowledge down a generation.

Through his volunteering with local Code Clubs, he realised the best way to inspire creativity is through hands-on learning. When teaching a child how to code, if they can see how their lines of code translate into the physical movement of robot they get a real sense of how their book-learnt knowledge has a real world application, as well as getting the pride of having created something they can show off to their friends!

When he brought a 3D printer and the prototype of the Carduino into class, the children couldn't contain their excitement when they found out they could build one themselves! According to the teacher who ran the class, they were so excited by what they had just seen they could barely concentrate on anything else.

With this in mind, Simon started Maker Club. Instead of trying to improve on the current curriculum, we aim to help learners and wannabe Makers engage with STEM subjects by giving them fun, hands-on projects to make at their own pace, with the potential for them to be as creative as they want to be.

Where's the money going?

Before coming to Indiegogo, we wanted to make sure that this would work.

We're a small team and want to deliver the best possible experience for anyone that uses our projects, especially if they're kids. So we are bringing in a few ninja developers and designers to help us put the icing on the cake and launch Maker Club with a gorgeous app, a beautifully intuitive learning system and all at an affordable price. The money is all going directly to development, design and large scale PCB manufacture of the Maker Connect chip and associated app.

Our robots are already designed and ready to go.

FAQ

Do I need to know how to code?

Not at all! We’ve developed a library of Arduino code that means you’ll be able to use our bots straight away, but if you follow our step-by-step tutorials you’ll be coding yourself in no time.

When will I receive my robot kit?

We aim to deliver our kits a maximum of 4 months after our crowdfunding campaign ends.

Can our robots be delivered across the world?

Yes! Be sure to look at your shipping costs before you pledge, Shipping is £10 for UK, £20 anywhere in Europe. USA & Canada shipping is £30. Other countries £35

Purchasers are responsible for any VAT or customs duties levied by their own countries. VAT is included in the purchase price for countries within the EU .