Shenzhen has officially entered autumn, with a hint of coolness in the mornings and evenings. In this crisp October, we just experienced an extraordinary weekend: the Vanke Cloud City Cyber Space Co-Creation Camp—48-Hour Maker Marathon was successfully held!
On September 30, we officially announced the first satellite event of this year’s Maker Faire Shenzhen, co-hosted by Vanke Cloud City and Chaihuo Maker Space: Vanke Cloud City: Cyberspace Co-Creation Camp.
After the event announcement, we received many inquiries from interested maker partners. To help everyone better understand the layout of Vanke Cloud City Design Commune and its operational challenges, the organizers held a field survey and an offline Q&A session on October 11 for all interested partners.
Soon, we received 17 proposals from teams in Shenzhen and Beijing. On October 17, the organizing team conducted a fair and rigorous evaluation of all submissions based on various dimensions, including creativity and the feasibility of technical implementation. Ultimately, 9 proposals were approved.
| No. | Team Name | Pain Point | Solution |
| 1 | Glee Club | Intelligent Management of Slow Parking Spaces | In order to help optimize the utilization of the three-dimensional parking lot in Area B and to reduce the use of the aisles, it was proposed to provide guidance in a more friendly and intuitive way: instructions for the different parking spaces, etc., the addition of more obvious and stronger “No Parking” signs, and the collection of signboards to display and visually deliver the situation of the parking lot to the management staff. |
| 2 | S&E | Interactive installations of art and technology in the park | We proposed an intelligent mobility system to address the long-distance walking challenges within the large park area. This system centres around a dual-person electric vehicle designed for carrying goods and families, combined with a digital navigation map and smart guiding system to provide convenient and efficient transportation services. |
| 3 | Land-watering Group | Intelligence for park access mobility | To address the long-distance walking challenges within the large park area, we proposed an intelligent mobility system. This system centres around a dual-person electric vehicle designed for carrying goods and families, combined with a digital navigation map and smart guiding system to provide convenient and efficient transportation services. |
| 4 | sudo rm -rf /* | Interactive installations of art and technology in the park | By combining divination, electronic map navigation, and parking guidance, we provide a diverse interactive experience that enhances user engagement within the park. Unique divination poetry generated by Zhipu AI enriches the cultural atmosphere of the park, allowing technology and humanities to blend seamlessly. The interaction design is simple and easy to understand, utilizing touch screens, QR codes, and printing methods to ensure accessibility for various users. Additionally, we employ LoRaWAN technology to monitor and manage parking spaces, improving the efficiency of temporary parking spots. |
| 5 | Zip~~~ | Intelligent Irrigation System for park | Through an intelligent automatic irrigation system, the project incorporates technologies such as wind direction detection, intrusion detection, irrigation path optimization, and real-time monitoring. This allows for dynamic adjustment of watering strategies based on environmental conditions, enabling precise control of water volume and irrigation areas to avoid human error and waste of water resources. Additionally, the system automatically pauses irrigation when detecting intrusion, ensuring safety. |
| 6 | Gen Z | Digital management of park restrooms | This system utilizes ESP-MDF networking and the ESP-NOW protocol to build an efficient, low-power smart restroom management platform. It includes an ESP32, Raspberry Pi 5 as the main control module, various sensors (air quality sensors, tissue sensors, fall detection sensors, and restroom occupancy sensors), and an LCD display. Using ESP-NOW enables wireless communication between devices, eliminating the reliance on traditional Wi-Fi. Sensor data is transmitted to the AI chip via MQTT protocol for analysis and prediction. Feedback buttons and the LCD display provide users with real-time information and feedback channels. |
| 7 | Team 404 | Park overflow and cleanliness management | Smart Monitoring: Through intelligent devices, the status of trash bins is monitored 24 hours a day. Real-Time Alerts: When a trash bin is nearing overflow, the system automatically notifies management personnel for timely cleaning. Visualization Platform: A cloud platform is established to provide visual data analysis, enhancing the efficiency of environmental management within the park. |
| 8 | Travelers’ squad | Interactive installations of art and technology in the park | Create an interactive device that allows users to receive commemorative coins simply by following a public account. This device can be placed at various locations within the park, serving as a tourist checkpoint to enhance their sightseeing experience and increase the number of followers for the public account. Additionally, the device can function as a voice interaction tool, capable of integrating with AI models for park guidance and information. |
| 9 | Regrouping | Interactive installations of art and technology in the park | A relaxing interactive zone will be installed at the design-rich cavernous wall outside the office area on the first floor of the campus, providing a unique respite that will engage visitors and working staff alike. The interactive installation will utilize sensor-based interaction design to combine people and light effects to provide an immersive experience for passersby, inspiring engagement and curiosity. |
Starting the Makers Hackathon
From October 26 to 27, we gathered all the team members whose proposals were approved to officially launch the 48-hour Maker Hackathon!
During the opening ceremony, Rain Ye, General Manager of Chaihuo Maker Space; Eric Pan, Founder of Seeed Studio and Chaihuo Maker Space; and Quan Jiang, General Manager of Vanke Cloud City, each delivered important speeches. The insightful remarks from the three guests set a positive tone for the smooth progression of the event!
Quan Jiang, General Manager of Vanke Cloud City, stated: We have always hoped to integrate more maker energy into the park and actively embrace makers to co-create the future. Therefore, this year we are opening up the real operational challenges of the park and inviting makers from home and abroad to propose solutions, using technology to enhance the quality of work and life in the park. Whether it’s smart parking, electronic guides, safety supervision, smart lighting, digital management, or art installations, we look forward to seeing your creativity and solutions. We hope this event will build an open platform for makers to unleash their ideas and turn them into reality, exploring the endless possibilities of future communities together.
After the opening ceremony, the community manager from Chaihuo Maker Space led all makers to the core venue of this Maker Hackathon—the Equipment Room. The community manager patiently explained the functions and safety guidelines for various advanced tools in the room, detailing the functional areas of the venue and each group’s workspace. This ensured that every maker could fully utilize the resources and work efficiently on their projects.
Field research refinement and site selection
Before officially starting the projects, there was one very important task to complete: detailed on-site research and precise location selection! The nine teams acted separately, conducting field research in the Vanke Cloud City Design Commune. After confirming with the Vanke Cloud City operations team, they selected the best deployment points for their projects.
Immersive Maker
Once the deployment points were determined, each team formally entered the project production phase. Every team prepared their hardware products, necessary materials, and tools in their respective work areas, dividing tasks in detail. As the hands-on production began, the makers immersed themselves in the processes of design, assembly, and debugging, sparking creativity and collaborating closely, aiming to complete their innovative works within the set timeframe.
Here’s a glimpse of the intense situation at the worktables. Some makers were still working late into the night around 3 AM. With such passion and perseverance, success is bound to follow!
Deployment of proposals
This Hackathon covered a range of projects, including smart management of parking spaces at Vanke Cloud City Design Commune, interactive art and technology installations, intelligent mobility solutions, smart irrigation systems, digital management of restrooms, and waste overflow and cleaning management. Each maker team provided solutions for these real-world needs through technological innovation. We believe that these solutions will effectively enhance the quality of work and life in the design community, contributing to the park’s digital development.
Many of you are probably eager to see how these 9 projects performed during their on-site deployment! Don’t worry—we will share application videos for each project in the coming days, giving you a glimpse of their impressive performance in real-world scenarios. You’ll also have the chance to cast your vote for your favorite project!
Finally, we warmly invite everyone to join us for Maker Faire Shenzhen 2024 for an on-site experience on November 16-17! Stay tuned!
Pre-registration for MFSZ2024 visitors is now open to ensure a better exhibition experience for professional visitors.
Through pre-registration, you can get:
1. Free on-site registration
2. Easy access to the entire exhibitors’ catalog
3. Get a full grasp of the show’s dynamics and exhibitors’ inquiries.
Scan the QR code below or click here to register as a visitor now!
Choose ticket type “Professional Visitor”, present on-site for professional visitor admission
Sign and collect the electronic directory at the inquiry service (A09)
Tips for visitors
November 16-17, Vanke Cloud City Design Commune
The parking spaces at the event venue are limited
Let’s Connect, Not Pollute – Choose Public Transport
Take Metro Line 5 to Liuxiandong Station Exit A, walk straight and turn left
There are also nearby bus stops like Zhongxing East, Vanke Cloud City First and Last Bus, etc.,
Let’s be environmentally friendly together!
