Life Sciences & Health at Maker Faire Rome 2026: life, up close
Discover what your body can do.
A neuron firing. A sensor that turns a gesture into data. Tissue built layer by layer. A robotic hand that responds to a muscle signal.
From 23 to 25 October 2026, at Gazometro Ostiense in Rome, Life Sciences & Health brings together biotechnology, neuroscience, biosensors, wearables and assistive technology.
Invisible signals become visible
The body is constantly producing information: movement, breathing, pressure, muscle activity.
Sensors and circuits turn these signals into images and readable data. A cushion shows how we distribute our weight when we sit; a wearable tracks movement during physical activity; open-source circuits imitate the behaviour of a neuron and let you change a parameter to see right away what happens.
When 3D printing meets biology
3D printing isn’t only for building objects. With biomaterials and cells, 3D bioprinting makes it possible to create tissue models used in research. In other cases, measurements and shapes become lightweight aids, customised devices or soft structures built around the person.
It’s the point where digital design, new materials and biology start speaking the same language.
Movement becomes an interface
A textile glove can follow the movement of your fingers.
Other systems use position, pressure or distance to turn a gesture into an interaction.
It’s one of the most fascinating ideas in assistive robotics: not asking the person to adapt to the machine, but trying to do the opposite.
There’s a whole world inside a cell
DNA, RNA, enzymes and mitochondria can sound like distant words. Then they become images, experiments, characters and stories.
Microscopes and interactive tools make visible phenomena that normally happen on a scale too small for our eyes.
And when something that was invisible becomes visible, biology changes its face.
Technology enters everyday life
A biosensor can talk to a smartphone. A wearable can track movement and activity. A device can turn posture, pressure or other signals into information that makes sense.
Digital health becomes interesting precisely when technology gets simple: fewer steps to learn, more attention to what a person is already doing.
You don’t need to know biology to get started. All it takes is one question: how does the body move, adapt, sense and communicate?
These are just a few examples. You’ll find other projects at the fair.
