Making Prototypes and Filming with Make48, a 48 Hour Invent-a-Thon

Filming with Make48, a 48 Hour Invent-a-Thon

April 30, 2018

MAKO recently filmed for season two of a show called Make48, a hit show that airs on PBS across the United States. Teams of inventors apply for Make48 for a chance to compete in an invent-a-thon weekend to develop a new commercial product idea. MAKO was part of the series premiere last year and this year they filmed at MAKO’s Austin office and will be helping the teams in making prototypes.

About the Show

Teams apply and compete to develop a new commercial product idea with only 48 hours on the clock over a weekend. Teams have 48 hours to plan, make a prototype and pitch their new idea that must fall within the specifications of the challenge which are revealed at the start of the 48-hour invent-a-thon.

Teams work on making prototypes, utilizing a variety of tools, materials, workspaces, and expert guidance they receive in a resource-rich fabrication workshop. Once complete, the teams pitch their idea to the panel of judges, with the potential to win a licensing deal, and they’ll get to see their products go to market.

Making prototypes for Make48 invention competition.

A shot from the Make48 invention competition.

MAKO’s Expert Guidance in Making prototypes

As part of the show, MAKO Design + Invent’s team of seasoned designers provide their expert guidance to the competitors and will be making prototypes for the winners. Throughout the filming of the show, prototyping building strategies will be discussed, and the final prototype will be revealed to the finalists.

The teams were able to sit down with the MAKO team and go through the design process step-by-step to understand the process we took to address various issues with the winner’s original product. Essentially we made the appropriate alterations to the product so it can be manufactured in mass quantities and be ready to hit the store shelves. 

You can read more about our role in making the prototypes here.

Where to Watch

Watch out for the national premiere of Make48 on Amazon Prime and PBS in October 2018.

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial designmechanical engineeringelectrical engineeringpatent referralprototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!

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