Meet DFRobot at FAB26 Boston 2026: AI, Open-Source Hardware & Maker Education

DFRobot is heading to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for FAB26 Boston, the 22nd annual Fab Lab Conference & Symposium. From July 27–31, 2026, the event will bring the global Fab Lab community back to the Greater Boston Area, where the movement began, to celebrate 25 years of making and reimagine what comes next.

Across the MIT campus and Fab Hub Kendall, DFRobot will present two hands-on workshops, two talks, an exhibition booth, and activities at the in-person Fab Educators Summit on July 26. Our program focuses on a practical question: how can open-source hardware and accessible AI tools help more students, educators, and communities turn ideas into working projects?

Visit DFRobot at Booth P7

Stop by Booth P7 to explore DFRobot tools for STEM and maker education, meet our team, and discuss classroom projects, AI learning, project-based learning, and makerspace programs.

• Venue: Fab Hub Kendall, 2nd Floor
• Booth: P7
• Time: 2:30–6:30 PM during the FAB26 conference days

Whether you teach coding, run a Fab Lab, design K–12 curricula, or simply enjoy building with open-source hardware, the booth is a place to exchange ideas and see how approachable tools can support learning by making.

View the official FAB26 website

DFRobot’s FAB26 Agenda

Sunday, July 26: Fab Educators Summit

The week begins with the in-person Fab Educators Summit, a focused gathering for K–12 teachers, Fab Lab educators, and education leaders.

• Time: From 1:30 PM
• Venue: MIT Building E15, 6th Floor

DFRobot Training Supervisor Shaodong Yang will present classroom projects including an energy-harvesting Maqueen car and a Match-3 game. Rebecca Jiang, Operations Manager of Mushroom Cloud Makerspace, will join the Global Panel on Education and Making to share perspectives from community-based maker education.

Monday, July 27: 10 Years of Making, 5 Years of AI

Hands-on Workshop: “10 Years of Making, 5 Years of AI — How Open Source Hardware Empowers Creation in China’s K–12 Class”

• Speaker: Shaodong Yang, Training Supervisor, DFRobot Education Division
• Time: 2:30–6:30 PM
• Venue: MIT E14, G-Shop-1

This workshop looks at a decade of hands-on making and the rapid arrival of AI in K–12 education. Participants will explore how open-source hardware can lower the barrier to classroom experimentation and help students move from following instructions to designing, testing, and improving their own ideas.

Tuesday, July 28: UNIHIKER K10 — Code for AI, AI for Code

Hands-on Workshop: “UNIHIKER K10 Workshop: Code for AI, AI for Code”

• Speaker: Rockets Xia, Co-Founder of Mushroom Cloud Makerspace
• Time: 2:30–6:30 PM
• Venue: Fab Hub Kendall, 2-ColabLab-2

This session explores both sides of AI learning: writing code to create AI experiences and using AI to support the coding process. With UNIHIKER K10 as the hands-on platform, participants will examine how vision, voice interaction, and programming can become tangible classroom projects instead of abstract concepts.

Wednesday, July 29: Empowering K–12 PBL with AI Agents

Talk: “Empowering K–12 PBL with AI Agents: The Evolution of Block-Based Programming”

• Speaker: Ricky Ye, Founder and CEO of DFRobot
• Time: 9:55–10:05 AM
• Venue: MIT Kresge, G-Auditorium

Block-based programming made coding accessible to a generation of learners. AI agents now create new possibilities for project-based learning, helping students work with more complex ideas while keeping the creative process approachable. Ricky Ye will discuss how this shift can support the next stage of K–12 making and programming education.

Wednesday, July 29: Bringing Maker Education to Rural Communities Worldwide

Talk: “Bringing Maker Education to Rural Communities Worldwide”

• Speaker: Rebecca Jiang, Operations Manager of Mushroom Cloud Makerspace
• Time: 4:50–5:00 PM
• Venue: MIT E14, 6-633

Access to maker education is not only a question of equipment. Long-term local collaboration, educator support, and projects connected to real community needs are equally important. Rebecca Jiang will share experience from maker education initiatives serving rural and underserved communities around the world.

Four Themes Connecting the Program

DFRobot’s FAB26 sessions approach maker education from different angles, but they share four priorities:

1. Open tools that invite experimentation. Students learn more when they can inspect, modify, and rebuild what they use.
2. AI that can be understood through making. Hands-on projects turn AI from a distant concept into something learners can test and shape.
3. Project-based learning that grows with students. Visual programming, physical computing, and AI agents can form a continuous path from first experiments to more ambitious work.
4. Access beyond well-equipped classrooms. Sustainable maker education depends on educators, local partners, and programs designed for the realities of each community.

Plan Your FAB26 Visit

FAB26 takes place July 27–31, 2026, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the in-person Fab Educators Summit on July 26. The official program notes that session times, rooms, and speakers may still change, so please check the latest schedule before attending.

• View the latest FAB26 schedule
• Get FAB26 tickets

We look forward to meeting educators, makers, Fab Lab teams, and community builders in Boston. Visit Booth P7, join a workshop, or catch one of the talks and continue the conversation with DFRobot throughout the week.

See you at FAB26 Boston.