Welcome to the Gen Z Makers — at Maker Faire Shenzhen 2025!
Here, we invited a group of makers to share their story and experiences in pushing technological boundaries — how they push their limits, overcome obstacles and even how to embrace failures.
Gen Z Makers — Crafting the Future with AI Tools
With AI as the weapon, these makers are rewriting what’s possible in the fields of AI hardware:
- Meet robotic companions brought to life through AI personality algorithms
- Develop the world’s first desktop-class bipedal robot powered by Raspberry Pi
- Imagine AI that interacts through living plants and wearable technology
They’re not just NPCs – they’re the superheroes of the AI revolution!
Hackathon Champion – Chen Zhengxiang (Rex)
Maker Faire Shenzhen Curator Ye Yu says:
“The reason we invited Rex as our guest for this session is not only because of his distinct personality, strong creativity, and execution skills, but also due to the deep bond and shared journey of exploration since 2013. “
“Whenever I think of Rex, my memories always take me back to the hot Shenzhen autumn in 2013, just two months after I joined the company. At the time, the “Maker Father” Mitch brought a group of hackers to the company for an exchange event. Among them, Rex stood out with his black t-shirt and tattooed arms, his unique personality and presence making a lasting impression on me. From our first meeting, I thought to myself: This guy has such a unique character.“
The Maker’s Journey:
In 2014, Rex founded STARY, an electric skateboard company, and achieved remarkable success on Kickstarter, raising 4.7 million! At the same year, he was honored as one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in China. It was this period that mechatronic innovations sparked more interest among many teenagers.
In the following years, Rex’s entrepreneurial journey continued to progress. In 2023, it seemed like he returned to his roots, frequently participating in major hackathons. Based on solid skills and technical innovations, Rex won numerous awards, earning the well-deserved title of “Hackathon Champion.”
In 2025, the connection between Chaihuo and Rex became even stronger. At the beginning of the year, he led his team to victory at Open Source Robotic Arm Hackathon organized by Chaihuo Maker Space, where their kebab grilling robot took first place.
In July, in the Smart Fridge Design Hackathon at Chaihuo Maker Space, Rex and his team once again claimed victory with their groundbreaking approach—deeply integrating embodied intelligence with scene innovation, securing the championship.
This year, Rex has embarked on an exciting new journey by officially entering the field of humanoid robotics. With funding from Seeed and the establishment of company, these all mark a new chapter of collaboration and strong support for his venture. Given Rex’s sharp insight into hardware innovation and extensive hands-on experience, we are confident that he will bring fresh breakthroughs to the humanoid robotics industry.
Let’s step into the extraordinary world of this “Hackathon Champion”!
Guests Inroduction
Chen Zhengxiang (Rex): Core Member of Chaihuo | Founder and CEO of TAKS | Technology Expert in Robotics and Smart Hardware
Q & A
Makey: “Hello Rex, could you briefly introduce yourself and how you usually describe yourself: a maker, an engineer, an artist, a hacker, or something else?”
Rex: “Hello everyone! I’m Rex Chen Zhengxiang, a serial entrepreneur and hardware hacker. I like to take things apart and love the componets of reverse-engineering robot. I’m currently starting a humanoid robotics company called TAKS.”
Makey: “Could you introduce your AI hardware projects or something you have completed? What AI capabilities does it utilize? What are the key hardware/modules used in the project?”
Rex: “Right now, I’m mainly working on the robotic arm for humanoid robots. It just looks like an actuator and doesn’t yet utilize AI. However, in the future, we plan to incorporate reinforcement learning for the motion control. “
Makey: “With growing interest in robotics, have you known anyone become interested in AI or hardware specifically because of your project?”
Rex: “Not yet, but I believe there will be a lot in the future.”
Makey: “If you had unlimited time, what kind of AI hardware project would you want to create?”
Rex: “A humanoid robot designed for exploring deserts, islands, and highlands.”
Makey: “That sounds great！What do you think is the most exciting application scenario for AI hardware?”
Rex: “A robot capable of accepting prompts.”
Makey: “Why do you want to combine AI technology with hardware? What problems do you think it solves, or what new experiences does it bring?”
Rex: “By combining AI with hardware, anyone can communicate with machines and commands without learning programming languages. It has the potential to amplify human capabilities by thousands of times.”
Makey:”While we interact with AI, it’s also quietly adapting and learning human behavior.If AI were a person, what role would it play in your project?”
Rex: “In my project, AI would act as a coder, an information gatherer, and an encyclopedia all in one—handling complex tasks, learning from data, and providing essential knowledge to enhance the system’s functionality.”
Makey: “Is there any AI tool you initially underestimated but later found to be really impressive?”
Rex: “3D model generation AI. At first, I wasn’t sure about its potential, but it has proven to be incredibly powerful and useful.”
Makey: “What is your perspective on the future of AI + hardware? What new opportunities do you think it will bring?”
Rex: “AI + hardware will lead to an era of immense material abundance. It will mark the next industrial revolution, driving the creation of countless new jobs and consumer goods.”
At the Maker Faire Shenzhen 2025, let’s come together to witness the next “highlight moment” of Rex, the boundary-pushing “AI hardware warrior”!
We sincerely thank Rex for sharing his insights. Hope this interview will inspire you! If you have any other perspectives on AI – hardware, feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas!
If you want to showcase your innovative ideas and the impact they have on industry innovation, meet like-minded makers, and explore the specific applications of cutting-edge technologies in various industries at one of the largest maker innovation events in the world, we invite you to sign up by scanning the QR code below or clicking here. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing your journey of continuous innovation!
Call for Makers
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Registration Period: May 21th, 2025 – September 30th, 2025
Aiming to promote business connections between professional visitors and exhibitors, Maker Faire Shenzhen 2025 has initiated a new registration channel for professional audiences, which can ensure more efficient exhibition output and provide a good exhibition experience.
Channnel for professional audiences
Over the past 12 years, the development trajectory of Maker Faire Shenzhen can be seen as a microcosm of the development of maker culture in China.
- 2012: “Gathering Small Wisdom, Journeying through the Great Future” – This was the first Mini Maker Faire in China, with less than 1000 attendees, and was more like a gathering within a small circle. But we saw the infinite possibilities emerging from the maker community.
- 2013: The slogan was absent, and the maker community was still small. – In the OCT Creative Park, there were cross-disciplinary exchanges among different creative communities, silently laying the foundation for cultural output.
- 2014: “Innovate with China” – the event was upgraded to the Featured level for the first time, with a significant increase in scale compared to previous years, and the beginning of professional independent forums. This year, makers began to enter the public’s view.
- 2015: “Everyone is a Maker, what are you waiting for?” – This year’s Shenzhen International Maker Week became one of the largest Maker Faires in the world. This year, the concept of “maker” was elevated to a national level, and the trend of “mass innovation, mass entrepreneurship” swept across the country.
- 2016: “My World, My Creation” – As the sub-venue of the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week, the event was held for the first time in the commercial center area, experiencing unpredictable weather from typhoons to scorching heat. Many makers succeeded in your entrepreneurial endeavors this year, but it seemed like there were even more failures. The hype around entrepreneurship shifted towards rationality.
- 2017: “Makers, Go Pro” – The event took place at the university campus for the first time, focusing on Maker Pros and providing a platform for diverse innovators and makers to showcase themselves, presenting more possibilities for the growth path of makers to the entire community.
- 2018: “Co-making in the City” – The main venue of Shenzhen International Maker Week, where individuals and groups with shared visions and values gathered to showcase stories, projects, and explorations of collaboration among different communities and people.
- 2019: ” To the Heart of Community, To the Cluster of Industry” – The event was upgraded to the Maker Faire Shenzhen, attempting to attract professional audiences and focusing on pragmatic aspects such as solving the needs of industrial upgrading and co-developin. It aims to build a platform for innovation and industry dialogue and collaboration.
- 2023: “Where Are The Makers?”– Starting from our own mission and values, we aim to explore the future direction of makers and theapossibilities for commercialization. Though this question does not have a definitive answer, we do hope that through this event, we can communicate and share with every one of you, finding more ideas and directions together.
- 2024: “Everything is AI” – This year, we brought together over 120 exhibitors from around the world, attracting nearly 1,500 professional attendees from nearly 20 countries and over 20 provinces across China. The exhibition showcased a wide range of AI application projects and hosted 10 AI hardware-themed satellite events, alongside various workshops.
