Young maker prodigy Allie holds patents and was a host on Myth Busters Jr – what’s in her future?
Allie Weber is 18, which means that she was about seven years old when Raspberry Pi came out. While Raspberry Pi probably can’t take all the credit for her incredible success, it’s an interesting milestone to keep in mind when considering her many accomplishments.
“Ever since I was little, I always had the desire to make things and be creative,” Allie says. “I won the science fair in first grade with a robot made out of recycled materials and continued coming up with invention ideas as I got older. After basically running out of science fairs in my hometown, I started entering online engineering competitions. My inventions include my patented Frost Stoppers, temperature-sensing gloves that can warn you before you get frostbite, and the Blowdart Spirometer, a medical device that makes respiratory therapy more fun by letting you shoot foam darts with it. Through making, I have learned so many new skills, and met many good friends in the maker community.”
How did you become a MythBusters Jr host?
After hearing about some of my inventions, the production company reached out to me and asked me to try out. I actually ended up doing one of my auditions at space camp in my flight suit. Needless to say, they were excited to have me on board, and I had so much fun hosting all ten episodes of crazy experiments with my good friends and fellow co-hosts, along with our MythBusters mentor Adam Savage.
When did you learn about Raspberry Pi?
I started working with Raspberry Pi when I was quite young, using it in various projects starting from when I was around 10 or 11. Raspberry Pi was, and still is, one of the most powerful tools to use in making projects involving the combination of hardware and software elements.
What have you made with Raspberry Pi?
Some of my favourite Raspberry Pi projects I have made are Pimoroni kits, which are awesome projects for beginners to learn with or experts to utilise in their projects. My favourites include Scroll Bot and OctoCam. One of my fellow MythBusters Jr hosts, Elijah Horland, also gifted me a Jurassic Park-themed PiGRRL handheld gaming device that I have worked on over the years, and really love.
What kind of projects do you like to make?
I love to make projects that solve problems, but I also love to make projects that are just for the fun of making them too. Lately, I have been making a lot of projects from games and shows I like. I have made some animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the Yellow Guy puppet from Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared. I like how much I can learn from different projects, and how I can combine those skills, like sewing, programming, 3D printing, hardware, and more to make awesome things that I can use to teach others about those skills.
What’s your favourite thing you’ve made?
Once, I took apart an RC car that I got for really cheap and turned it into a remote-control cow that can carry chocolate milk around for me. That was pretty fun. Sometimes my favourite projects are the ones that just make me laugh.
Any future projects we should look out for?
I have a 1995 Jeep Wrangler that I have been wanting to turn into a Jurassic Park Jeep for years, so stay tuned for progress on that. When there are updates, I will be sure to post them for those who are interested!
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