Maitane Alonso the maker who surprised NASA
From food waste to superconservation: Maitane will tell us how her food preservation machine has evolved from a simple idea to a large project
This young medical student, Maitane Alonso, became interested in food preservation when she saw how much food was left in her house every time her father cooked. This endearing scene led her to investigate microbiology and develop a first prototype that she presented at the Zientzia Azoka in Elhuyar (Euskadi) where she won first prize. From there she participated in different fairs and competitions, obtaining different awards and honorable mentions. Her participation in the Exporecerca Jove led her to obtain the award from the Catalan Biology Society and the Intel recognition, which led her to participate in the final of the World Science and Technology championship, obtaining the highest distinction in Sustainability and the second in Microbiology.
That first prototype of food preservative has evolved remarkably and this year Maitane will present it to us at the Maker Faire Galicia, telling us about the entire development process until reaching it and the learnings that emerged along the way.
Antón Vázquez from Alén Space and the makers of outer space
The Galician company comes to tell us how its evolution has been in the 12 years of the project’s life
Alén Space is a Galician company dedicated to the development, design and construction of digital satellites, both software and hardware. It is a spin-off of the University of Vigo that was founded in 2017, but whose origin dates back to 2008 with the design and manufacture of the first Spanish nanosatellite launched into space: Xatcobeo. They have worked on space missions with the European Space Agency, the Brazilian Space Agency or NASA.
In recent years they have received numerous recognitions such as the Cinco Días award for innovation, the Technology Transfer award from the Royal Galician Academy of Sciences and this year it has been chosen as Best Space Startup in the South Europe Startup Awards (SESA). In 2019 they received an investment round of 1 million euros from CDTI and BeAble Capital, which allowed them to improve their developments and continue expanding. And this same year they created an alliance with Sateliot, a satellite telecommunications operator under a 5G architecture, for the development of the payload of their first nanosatellites; They plan to launch the first launch in late 2020.
One more year in the Maker Faire Galicia we will have this company that is represented by Antón Vázquez García, Business Developer at Alén Space, who already participated in one of the tables of the professional conferences of the last edition and left everyone shocked. On this occasion, he will talk about the beginnings of the company, how they managed to get to where it is now and what their perspective is for the future.
Sofía Belenguer, from My real food, will come to Maker Faire Galicia to tell us about how her famous App was born
In an age where health care is essential, this app helps us choose real food and maintain our habits through a very active community.
In recent years the Realfooding movement has grown exponentially, it is a movement that prioritizes the consumption of fresh foods or with minimal processing compared to the large ultra-processed foods that have been created with the advancement of the food industry. Ultra-processed foods were included in a large part of the diet in most of the world, becoming a food health problem.
My real food was born to help people return to a diet based on real food, learning through this app to analyze the composition of products and foods, to choose the healthiest ones. It also teaches you to prepare healthy and delicious recipes with food and to set goals to improve your lifestyle, being able to share all this with a large community through its own social network, a section where you can share publications, your progress, follow other users, etc.
Sofía Belenguer Hernández, co-Founder and CEO of MyRealFood, will come to Maker Faire Galicia to tell us in more detail about the ins and outs of this app: how this project originated and how it evolved until it reached what it is today.
NeuroTechX: the largest international community for neurotechnology enthusiasts
Facilitating the advancement of neurotechnology by creating strong communities, improving knowlege, and promoting professional development
Another year, Maker Faire Galicia intends to address all topics of interest to the maker community, especially in those newer areas. That’s why this year we are pleased to have NeuroTechX, a non-profit organization that strives to facilitate the advancement of neurotechnology by providing key resources and learning opportunities through local and global technology initiatives.
To develop their project they start from 3 basic pillars such as the community, education and professional development. They consider that to become a practical reality, neurotechnology must have a community of experts, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts in this field, for which they act as facilitators and connectors of this community.
On the other hand, with their objective being to promote the advancement of neurotechnology, education is a fundamental resource and therefore NeurotechX offers accessible resources and learning opportunities for beginners or experts.
Finally, they are also in charge of generating synergies between the different innovation projects and events in this field, and at the same time that they help the industry find the talent that can allow the advancement of neurotechnology.
NeuroTechX already has nearly 16,000 neurotechnology enthusiasts worldwide, discussing neuroscience, technology and the many DIY projects in their community. In the Maker Faire Galicia 2020 we will have their co founder and Executive Director, Yannick Roy. In addition, this same year the NeuroTechX chapter in Galicia (NeuroTechGAL) began its journey and they will also be with us during the fair. 😀
Maker Faire Galicia returns in its sixth edition stronger than ever
This year, Maker Faire Galicia presents a new 100% online format, for which we have developed a powerful online platform that will allow participants to live a unique experience from anywhere on the planet. In this way, it becomes one of the first Maker Faires worldwide to be held entirely through the Internet.
In addition to this novelty, to the two days dedicated to the professional field, and to the two days open to all the public, a new exclusive day on education is added this year. In this way, Maker Faire Galicia becomes a benchmark in 360º innovation, sharing content and projects related to social and cultural innovation, educational innovation and business innovation.
-On November 18 and 19, we will talk about the role of industry in different sectors: aeronautics, automotive, food, energy, health and circular economy.
-On November 20, the exclusive day of education will be held, in which technology, educational innovation and inclusion will be discussed.
-Finally, in the open days, on November 21 and 22, there will be very diverse content related to robotics, science, do it yourself, art, music or gaming among others.
If you are a recently created company, an educational center, an association or a maker, don’t wait any longer and present your project! From today until October 15 we have the call for makers open. 😉
Offer a talk, a workshop or expose your project and share knowledge with the maker community. Don’t miss the most important innovation event of the year!
The sixth edition of the Maker Faire Galicia is held once again at the Gaiás Museum, although this year virtually, and has the support of the Xunta de Galicia, the City Council of Santiago, the Cidade da Cultura Foundation and APD.
The Maker Faire arrives full of contests, raffles and prizes!
Educational games, books for makers, electronics kits and even a maker trophy or a 3D printer can be yours if you participate in our raffles and contests that will take place during this edition of the Faire Galicia Maker.
- Sweepstakes Assitentes. Just by visiting Maker Faire you already enter the draw for 8 educational games for children and adults offered by Chafarís, the toy store to develop the imagination. https://www.chafaris.es/es/. Basis of the draw here.
- Sweepstakes Voting. As in the previous editions we want to know which is your favorite Maker. For this you will have to vote in the area of the exit by entering your entry number. So you will enter the draw for an electronic and Arduino kit plus the book “Learn Arduino” offered by Marcombo so you can start creating your own projects. Basis of the draw here.
- Hebocon competition. The Hebocon is the craziest absurd robot competition in the world. At the end of each day you can participate in the competition with your robot created during the workshop of the fair or at home. If your robot is the winner you will get a small trophy plus the book “Start to create!” Offered by Marcombo so you can continue creating great projects outside the Faire Galicia Maker. (This crazy competition has no bases, anything can happen, but you will find the basic rules of the Hebocon here;))
- Pitabots contest. You already know our famous Pitabots, right? Create yours in the workshop offered by VermisLAB and place it in the corresponding area so that all the attendees of the fair can see them and vote for their favorite. We have prizes for the three best Pitabots of the fair! You can see the rules of the contest here.
- Raffle 3D printer. Get your 3D printer for just € 1! At the information points you can buy tickets to participate in the draw for an AnetA8 3D Printer so you can get started in the fascinating world of 3D printing. You can see the raffle bases here.
The resolution of the contests, the raffles and the awards ceremony will take place on Sunday at 22:00 along with the award ceremony for the best Maker of the 5th edition of the Faire Galicia Maker.
A lot of prizes are waiting for you. Good luck!
Open Space at Maker Faire Galicia
The Open Space of Compostela Tech will take place on Saturday 6th July from 10 am to 2 pm. To sign up, you only have to reserve your place here.
More info about the Compostela Tech Open Space 2019.
Link eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.es/e/registro-compostela-tech-open-space-2019-63076080254
Help us celebrating the biggest Hebocon in Spain this year at Maker Faire Galicia.
After the great success achieved with the first Hebocon of Maker Faire Galicia this year we propose to celebrate the biggest Hebocon in Spain. Are you going to miss it?
If this is the first time you hear about a Hebocon and you’re wondering what it is, we could define it briefly as a competition of absurd robots. But four words fall short to define everything that is.
The Hebocon started in Japan in 2014. In fact, The term Hebocon comes from the Japanese word Heboi, which is used to define something that technically has some problem or is of low quality. That’s why these robots are usually made with recycled material such as engines, plastics or scrap.
After the great success achieved with the Hebocon that we celebrated last year at Maker Faire Galicia, this year we will repeat with much more strength. Luís Díaz, Julián Caro and Agustín Flowalistik will again be in charge of leading this competition that promises to be a awesome.
The interesting thing about Hebocon is that anyone can participate, even without having any technical knowledge. The perfect activity to bring technology to all kinds of audiences, from kids to adults 😉
During the two days of open doors, participants of all ages, alone, in groups or as a family, can create their robot and then participate in the Robot Workshop competition that will take place at the end of each day.
Like last year, those who want to bring their home robot can register in advance, competing in the Home Robots category, which will take place during the Faire Galicia Maker and, finally, on Sunday afternoon, the big final match will be carried out between both categories.
Do not think twice and participate in the Hebocon, check the rules here if you are going to build your robot at home and prepare to enjoy. Fun is assured! 😀
The “elevator pitch” of the 10 most salient makers
This year at Maker Faire Galicia we want to resalt the importance of the Maker movement for the growth of Industry 4.0. So, within the Professional Conference on Friday, November 23, we’ll have a space for makers with projects of a higher degree of innovation.
This 10 finalist projects will be exposed to the public throughout the Professional Day and will be presented on the main stage through the formula known as “elevator pitch”, which refers to the ability to condense a message to get someone’s attention in just few seconds or minutes, emulating the time you would have to present your project or idea in an elevator trip to a possible investor.
The selected makers will have 5 exact minutes of available time, 3 for the presentation and 2 for questions by the members of the jury. The objective is to awaken the curiosity of the specialized public that comes to the day and from which future opportunities may arise. This jury of experts, chaired by Inés Lusquiños, responsible for communication of Startup Galicia, will evaluate the projects choosing the three best, which will be awarded with a trophy and awards of € 1000, € 500 and € 250.
Here it is the list of the 10 finalist projects:
Makers and Industry 4.0.
Makers are characterized by being people with a highly creativity and a great ability to solve problems. However, when they want to focus their projects on the market or collaborate with a company, they often encounter problems because they do not have the tools or the adequate help to carry them out.
That’s why, this year during the professional day, a talk will be held where several accelerators will give their point of view about the ecosystem maker and its collaboration with the industry, telling us how they can act as a bridge between both worlds.
In this talk we will have Jorge Gómara, Head of Business Factory Auto, Gerard Gracia, Head of Digital Garage in Estrella Galicia and Nicolás Troncoso, Innovation Director of Kaleido. Inés Lusquiños, Head of Communication of Startup Galicia will moderate this table that promises to be very productive.
You can check the whole program here
Maker Faire Galicia, with the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology – Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.