Maker Faire Room 2025, sustainability: 5 projects not to be missed (there’s even a lid that listens pasta)

There is Medu-camera, an underwater device that uses artificial intelligence to recognize and count jellyfish, informing swimmers with a display on the beach and a report on a website, and there is the radio-controlled scale reproduction of a Ferrari F1, designed and built entirely by students using CAD, CFD, 3D printing, CNC, and carbon fiber.

But also the Pasta Taster, a project for a pot lid that can automatically regulate pasta cooking, adjusting the cooking time. These are some of the projects related to the environment and sustainability that you’ll be able to see firsthand and discover at Maker Faire Rome 2025, taking place from October 17th to 19th at the Gazometro Ostiense. Medu-camera, Ferrari F1, and Pasta Taster can be found in Area D of the fair, next to the Gazometro. I was also intrigued by Captery, the project for a battery “you’ll never throw away again,” which you can find in Area R.

You can read the map HERE. In the meantime, I’ll tell you more about these and other projects. There are so many, it’s difficult to narrow down a selection

In defense of swimmers

Medu-camera is a robotic detection system for Pelagia noctiluca jellyfish. It consists of an underwater camera protected by a self-cleaning dome. It can take three photos per minute, which are sent to an AI-powered PC for recognition. It then triggers an alert on the beach display to inform swimmers. How is it powered? By wave motion.

Who created the project? They’re in their first year of high school, majoring in robotics, but they’re already thinking big. A group of young people from Sanremo are behind the underwater device that detects jellyfish in real time.

“We’ve combined our passion for robotics with the desire to make the sea safer» they explain. An innovative idea, designed for swimmers, public bodies, and researchers, capable of providing essential environmental information for the safety and protection of marine ecosystems.

From school to track

A group of students from the IIS Ferrari in Maranello have recreated a scale model of a radio-controlled Ferrari, moving from CAD design to 3D printing, all the way to track testing. A hands-on experience that combines technical training and a passion for motorsports, right in the city that symbolizes Italian speed. “We grew up surrounded by sports cars in the Motor Valley,” they explain, “with a strong passion for engineering and sustainability.”

The project, part of a training program that included competitions like F1 in Schools, demonstrates how schools can become real-world prototyping laboratories. Using composite materials and aerodynamic simulations, the team has built an F1 RC car optimized down to the last detail. The car is now undergoing track testing, while the data collected will be used to improve its setup and performance in the next evolution of the project.

The lid that listens pasta

The lid that listens pasta is a project born at the Algeri Marino fablab in Casoli, Italy. Here, a group of students designed a smart lid capable of monitoring and adjusting pasta cooking based on time and water hardness. The heart of the system is an Arduino IoT board, connected to sensors that read water parameters. The result? A kitchen ally for those seeking quality, safety, and perfect cooking every time. An original project, unprecedented on the market, that combines Italian tradition and open-source innovation. Currently in the prototyping phase, it aims to become a standard for smart kitchens.

Sentinels of the Sea

Also in Area D, Space 23, three students from the Volterra Scientific High School created and brought to Maker Faire Rome 2025 the Volterra Blue Sentinel, a network of floating sensors that allows boats to monitor the state of the marine ecosystem in real time.

“All that’s needed is for the boats to be equipped with our device,” they explain. Central infrastructure is not needed: the sea itself, traversed by fishermen and yachtsmen, becomes an environmental monitoring network. The system, already complete, collects data on pollution and coastal erosion, which can be accessed online. This participatory science project, born from young people who want to save the sea, one parameter at a time.

Captery, the battery you’ll never throw away

Captery is an innovative battery that uses a supercapacitor instead of traditional chemical cells. It recharges in just 160 seconds, is reusable over 250,000 times, and contains no heavy metals, making it an eco-friendly and safe solution for portable energy. 3D printed and designed to be compatible with AA and AAA batteries, Captery represents a sustainable alternative to disposable batteries, with an extremely low environmental impact.

See the full program on the Maker Faire website