Maker Faire 2013 Brings Awesome Robots, Giant Board Games and More to Queens, NY (PHOTOS)

<a href="http://makerfaire.com/">Maker Faire</a>, the greatest show (and tell) on Earth, came to Queens last weekend, and it brought a bevy of DIY gadgetry, technology and science with it. Although there weren't any pyrotechnics this year, the show was an explosion of <a href="inhabitat.com/tag/3D-Printing">3D printing</a>, robotics and larger-than-life spectacles, and it drew more makers and attendees than ever before. In case you missed the making extravaganza, we put together a list of cool things we saw at the show - like the world's largest Mousetrap game, video games with paramecium, trash being turned into art and music, and even a MetroCard robot dog. Read on to see them all!

<h3><big>Life-Size Mousetrap Game</big></h3> You've probably played the beloved family board game <a href="http://makerfaire.com/makers/life-size-mousetrap2/">Mousetrap</a>, but you've never seen it like this! <a href="http://lifesizemousetrap.org/">Mark Perez</a>'s massive yet uber-intricate version of the game is the world's largest and is essentially a 25-ton Rube Goldberg machine.

<h3><big>MetroCard Man and MetroCard Dog</big></h3> Gregory Rodolico, a.k.a. the <a href="http://archive.makerfaire.com/pub/e/8842">MetroCard Man</a>, was back at this year's Maker Faire and this time, he brought along a robotic canine friend! Rodolico has made a name for himself building animatronic creatures with startlingly realistic movements, and MetroCard Dog was no exception, wooing kids with his cheerful yelps and wagging tail.

<h3><big>Shelter 2.0</big></h3> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shelter-20/284066190697">Shelter 2.0</a> set up one of its temporary disaster shelters right in the middle of the fair so that people could step inside, sit on the chairs and experience it firsthand. Citing their belief that everyone is entitled to a roof over their head and a floor under their feet, the organization has been making affordable and easy-to-assemble homes that can be set up without any prior construction experience or power tools other than a cordless drill.

The <a href="http://pittsburghartcar.com/">Pittsburgh Art Car</a> first started by Jason Saver 18 years ago is an on-going, roaming art project that starts its life as <a href="http://inhabitat.com/cash-for-clunkers-program-ends-tonight-with-mixed-reviews/">old, clunker car</a>.

Wanting to create his own brand of music, <a href="http://www.kineticontology.com/">Eric Farber</a> created his own band of handmade found-object percussion instruments.

They’re a bit strange but adorable. Jackie Huang first began <a href="http://inhabitat.com/kiyoshi-minos-amazing-felt-sculptures-blow-taxidermy-away/">needle felting</a> these googly-eyed creatures for his daughter but the hobby quickly became a full time job and later, a company.

Using materials just found off the street, <a href="http://www.thestreetofgold.com/">Peter Cole</a> has been collecting objects since he was seven when he lived in Africa for a year. Cole’s mission has always been to convey the transience of experience by selecting <a href="http://inhabitat.com/infographic-the-environmental-benefits-of-proper-waste-disposal/">objects people throw away</a>. While some of these <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/artists-turn-trash-into-striking-recycled-art-pieces-at-transform-gallery/">enigmatic sculptures</a> are stranger than others, they certainly are full of character.

Who says science can’t be fun? Working off a previous project of controlling paramecium with electric currents, <a href="http://genspace.org/">Genspace</a> (Brooklyn’s local <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/slightly-disturbing-3d-printed-faces-are-constructed-using-dna-from-found-hair-and-gum/heather-dewey-hagborg-3dprinted-face4jpg/">biohacking space</a>) has turned biology into a video game.

Karlin Yeh (who is only a High School Senior!) developed is own low cost, open source centrifuge called the <a href="https://www.tindie.com/products/CopabX/openfuge/">OpenFuge</a>. Using primarily off-the-shelf-parts, Yeh developed a more <a href="http://inhabitat.com/salad-spinner-transformed-into-centrifuge-for-diagnosing-diseases/">affordable centrifuge</a>.