New for the 2016 World YoYo Contest will be an official “Maker Space”, where curious players can learn about the design and manufacture of yoyos! Experienced yoyo designers and manufacturers will be on-hand for all four days of the event to teach the basics of yoyo design, discuss the various options for small batch and home manufacturing, and utilize tabletop lathes, 3D printers, and 3D carving machines to help players learn to design their own yoyos.
The generous folks at MatterHackers are donating a JumpStart 3d printer to be used during the event, and at the end of the contest we will draw the name of one lucky Maker Space participant to WIN THE PRINTER!
The Maker Space will be coordinated by Kyle Weems of Kyo’s Toys and Drew Tetz of 44RPM.
Each morning at approximately 10 AM (check the daily schedule to confirm) there will be an open session where players can learn the basics of yoyo design and home manufacturing. At each session, one player will be chosen to design a yoyo with the session leader, and then samples of that yoyo will be produced on the Maker Space equipment and given away to workshop attendees.
There is no need to sign up, just show up at the Maker Space during a session!
Kyo Toys started as a small project over 10 years ago. Our aim was to bring manufacturing and design down from the corporations to the players and individuals where we believe it belongs. That venture was a success and now the ‘independent manufacturers’ have grown from a tiny handful when Kyo Toys started, to countless new companies now. However, as an industry we have stalled again. Rising costs of manufacturing, industry wide decreased sales, an influx of new (not-so-new) products… these things have led to stagnation in the industry which must be remedied. It is in this vein that Kyo Toys re-launches from the ground up and attempts to redefine what people expect from a manufacturer. A new idea. A new approach. A new revolution. It is time for change; it is time to see what can be done on the outermost edges of design and technology.