EMF 2026 schedule

Roger Dealtry (He Him)

This is a talk on the PAL (System I) colour television standard. Something that was once used in every home in the UK, but now with the advent of digital broadcasting has quietly slipped into the pages of history. It deserves one final fanfare and who better to give it some love than the EMF community. We're going to marvel at the sheer engineering ingenuity of the PAL system at a fairly technical level, the remarkable way it makes use of aspects of the video signal spectrum, psychovisual phenomena and the prevailing analogue technology to cram a quart of functionality into a pint pot of spectrum. We see the engineering wisdom of considering a system holistically. We'll also look at the factors leading to its development, the way it addressed the shortcomings of earlier systems, and put PAL in its historical context with the existing black and white service, NTSC, SECAM and its eventual use in direct to home satellite broadcasting,

Mike Harrrison (aka mikeselectricstuff), with Daniel Hirschmann (He/Him)

A deep dive into the process of designing and implementing a fully custom-built wearable video screen, which was used on a 50-date international arena concert tour by a well-known musical artist in 2025 and 2026. Details of all aspects will be explored, from initial concept design with the artist's creative and tour production teams, technical electronic and mechanical aspects, integration of the electronics into the costume, as well as the practicalities of building reliable & robust hardware on a very short timescale. And of course the safety aspects of making a body-worn system capable of using over 250 watts of power. This was a commercial project, and is planned to be a joint presentation by myself (freelance electronics consultant) for the technical aspects, and my client (design studio) talking about production liaison, logistics and final hardware integration (sewing & wiring!).

Amy Jeskins (She/Her)

A discussion around the engineering of garments, the similarities of pattern cutting to 3D modelling and the loss of truly bespoke garment making. I will talk from my experience as a theatrical costume maker and wardrobe professional, about the nature of costume vs couture vs fashion pattern cutting. I will touch on the art of draping and tailoring, and the difficulties these styles of pattern cutting create in mass production and computer aided design. I will also discuss the connection between the diminishment of the skill set in relation to the perception of sewing and patterning as "women's work". I will also touch on the change in general perception of what bespoke clothing is worth, and what "normal" body size and shape should be due to mass production and standardisation. Finally I will highlight the brighter side of digital pattern cutting, using that tool for doing things we can't with traditional pattern cutting, and it's role in conservation and archiving.

Gavin Hesketh (He/him) ⚠️

The Muon g-2 experiment recently made the most precise measurement ever carried out with a particle accelerator: how fast muons "wobble" when put near a magnet. This measurement is so precise, it opened up gaps in our understanding of the universe, and was awarded the $3M Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2026. As one of the researchers involved, I'll explain what a muon is, how the experiment worked, what it told us, and how such an esoteric measurement went right to the heart of the Standard Model of Particle Physics and how the strange quantum universe really works.

Jon Ginn (he/him)

QR Codes! They're everywhere, and after this talk you'll see them everywhere. They've invaded every part of modern life - but how did they get there? (Have they always been here, in secret?) This talk will cover the history of scanning things that contain information such as the barcode, covering not just one but TWO whole dimensions of scanning. Where was the first barcode (spoilers, it involves trains)? Is it true that barcodes caused a conspiracy in the 1980s? We'll learn what competitors are there for the QR code and why they failed under the might of the QR. We'll explore why the QR code so pervasive in modern society and what makes them so good. This presentation will generally be light hearted and whimsical, and will contain several jokes, some serious security advice, but generally be light entertainment. There will be no AI imagery or text.

Tim Hunkin (he)

Arcade machines have a rich history, at times at the forefront of technology, and often the most bizarre machines. Machines that delivered electric shocks (supposedly therapeutic) and working automata models of executions or hen pecked husbands (titled ‘Is Marriage worth it’). The first seaside arcade opened in Blackpool in 1894, under the newly built tower. The machines were all clockwork automata scenes, with an attendant constantly rewinding them. Arcades became widespread after the craze for Edison’s Kinetoscope, the predecessor of ‘What the Butler Saw’ machines. Kinetoscopes were a sensation – the first time anyone had seen moving images of any sort, so ‘Kinetoscope parlours’ sprang up in every city centre. Once cinemas got established the craze faded and the parlours diversified – adding fortune tellers, ball runs, shooting games and of course one armed bandits. The arrival of computer games in the 1980s shook everything up. At first very popular in arcades but soon eclipsed by cheaper to play home computer games. Most city centre arcades have since closed, though many seaside arcades survive with ‘redemption’ machines. These spit out tickets when you win. Before leaving you take all your tickets to the desk to ‘redeem’ a prize. The talk will be illustrated by photos and videos of the old machines and also some of Tim’s own arcade machines influenced by their history. Tim has made over 40 arcade machines and now runs two arcades. The talk will include some of Tim’s machines that were particularly inspired by the history.

Mark McIntosh (He/him)

I have spent my career working as an electrically biased technician supporting scientific and engineering research. In 2022/23 a post-COVID malaise led me to put in a speculative application with The British Antarctic Survey. Sometime later I was flying into Rothera Research Station, Antarctica. Before arriving, I had dreams of being surrounded by Antarctic wildlife such as penguins, seals and whales. I hoped I would be able to ride a snowmobile and engage in snow-covered adventures. I knew that this was somewhat far-fetched as this is just a job, albeit in the most hostile environment on earth. To my surprise I found that, while there were long days of working hard there were also ample opportunities to be surrounded by wildlife and engage the activities I dreamed of. I was even a co-pilot on a project to one of the UK’s most remote Antarctic outposts, the Sky-Blu Field Station. I saw orcas swimming in unison to create a wave to knock seals from an iceberg – just like in the first episode of Frozen Planet! At the end of my adventure, I left Antarctica on Boaty McBoatface for a 5-day voyage across the most dangerous seas on earth. My talk is reliant on sharing the amazing photos I took while I was there.

Andrew Perry (he/him) ⚠️

After the Last Logoff is a practical and gently reflective talk about what happens to our digital lives when we’re no longer around to explain them. It explores the often-overlooked burden left to partners, family, and friends when accounts, devices, subscriptions, home tech, and online services need to be accessed, closed, or handed over. The talk will look at simple ways to make those things easier: from password managers and account recovery options, to documenting systems and creating clear instructions for the people we leave behind. It’s as much about communication and kindness as it is about technology, helping us think about how to leave behind a digital life that is understandable, accessible, and survivable.

Val Wardlaw (she/her)

The rivers and seas are polluted with human sewage, which does not decompose properly because the microbes in water are different from those on land and cannot break down animal waste. The result is foul-smelling water and algal blooms. The microbes that have evolved to break down animal manure are primarily found in soil and on organic matter, not in aquatic environments. Human faeces is a very rich source of nutrients and can be an excellent fertiliser. Until about 1875, it was routinely applied untreated to farmland outside London, a practice that was eventually made illegal due to the obvious health risks, since untreated sewage can contain dangerous pathogens. Proper composting, however, creates optimal conditions for the microbes that have evolved over billions of years to efficiently break down human waste, producing a safe material that can be used to grow food after sufficient processing. We have long ignored, hidden, and made taboo the act of defecation, breaking the natural nutrient cycle. This elective ignorance has created a range of environmental and public health problems. So why don’t we stop polluting our rivers and start working with the natural decomposition process instead? How hard can it be, even on a houseboat? I started designing such a system over a year ago, and the process led me through chemistry and mathematics to plant biology. In the rest of this talk, I will explain how I set up and run a self-sustaining micro sewage treatment system on a houseboat. The system had to maximise the speed of decomposition whilst minimising smell and space, which meant the process needed to be as efficient as possible. The physical components of the system are a composting toilet, a macerator, cardboard, rabbit bedding, a hot composter, and yellow bamboo grown in pots. ============================================================================ So the structure of my talk would be 1. Sewage in rivers and why decomposition fails in water 2. Night soil and historical nutrient cycles 3. Composting microbiology 4. Social taboo and broken nutrient cycle 5. Design constraints on a houseboat (space, smell, speed) 6. Chemistry (C:N ratio, moisture, oxygen) 7. Maths (volume, decay rates, steady state) 8. Plants as nutrient sinks (bamboo) 9. System overview and results

David Johnson (Mr)

This talk explores the emerging concept of “An Internet for the Solar System” — a networked approach to interplanetary communication that could transform how spacecraft, habitats, and missions share data beyond Earth. Starting with NASA’s LunaNet initiative, we will examine how principles from terrestrial internet infrastructure are being adapted for the unique challenges of space: extreme latency, intermittent connectivity, and vast distances. The session will introduce Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), a key protocol framework enabling reliable communication where traditional internet models fail. We will explore how LunaNet envisions a federated system of lunar orbiters, surface relays, and Earth-based nodes working together as a scalable, interoperable network. A particular focus will be placed on ground infrastructure, including the role of commercial and community-accessible deep space facilities such as Goonhilly Earth Station. Once a cornerstone of satellite communications, Goonhilly is now re-emerging as a key player in deep space data links, supporting missions and opening opportunities for non-governmental participation in space communications. The talk will also consider future extensions of this interplanetary internet: Mars networks, autonomous routing between spacecraft, and the potential for open standards that enable wider access beyond national space agencies.

Donna Alexandra (she/her)

Winter camping in the Alps sounds beautiful… doesn't it? That is, until the pipes freeze or the heating goes out when it’s -21°C outside. By day, I'm an SRE responsible for incident management, triaging alerts, and calling in subject matter experts when required. It turns out that those skills are transferable to handling real-life situations, too! In this talk, I’ll share a fun (slightly traumatic) guide to applying SRE thinking to camping. I'll talk about hacky fixes to resolve the immediate impact, the process of narrowing down the root cause, and the beauty of pattern matching in observability. You’ll see that monitoring, escalation, and redundancy aren’t just for data centres. They’re survival tools. If you’ve ever been on-call or just like a good disaster story, join me for this slightly chaotic, entirely true adventure in off-grid reliability.

Nikki (she/her)

Game randomizers can breathe fresh air into your favorite video games by changing where things are, what enemies you fight, or even what the win conditions are. But how do they work? How do they balance unpredictability with creating a challenge that can actually be beaten? Should you even care about that? Let's embrace chaos and learn about them!

Jon Kingsley (he/they) ⚠️

What happens when the lights go out, the flames shoot up, and the performer flies over the audience? None of it is magic - it’s a remarkably deep stack of engineering, software, and controlled chaos, and almost none of it is visible to the audience. This talk pulls back the curtain on the technology powering professional theatre and live events - from West End productions to outdoor festivals. We’ll cover the full picture: how sACN and Art-Net carry hundreds of DMX universes from console to fixture; how show control systems tie lighting, audio, video, and automation together with sub-millisecond precision; how stage rigging and flying systems work (and what actually keeps performers safe in the air); how pyrotechnics are engineered for precise timing, reliable ignition, and zero-failure fault tolerance; and how modern video infrastructure - PTZ cameras, SDI, AV-over-IP - comes together live with no second takes. Along the way we’ll dig into the networking and software glue that holds it all together: AES67 audio-over-IP, timecode, OSC, MIDI show control, video-over-IP, and the eternal cursed nightmare of clock synchronisation. Whether you’ve wondered what’s actually in that rack at side of stage, or you want to understand how the world’s largest productions are really engineered, this talk is for you.

Sam Phelps (he/him)

This talk will discuss the trials and tribulations of being an open source software maintainer in 2026. As well as my day job of a Software Engineering consultant, I co-ordinate and lead Foundry Zero's Open Source project releases and maintaince. This includes reverse engineering projects such as binder-trace, LLEF and ghidra-deep-links; as well as managing our contributions to other projects, such as Angr. I will discuss the difficulty of keeping projects up to date, meeting the communities needs, and keeping the code functioning! As well as managing submissions from external contributors, and managing contributions from inside the company, from a busy group of people will full time commitments and roles. I'll be discussing a couple of case studies of real world problems our tools have faced and fixed, and how they make other people's (and our own!) jobs easier. Our aim is to help the security research community to have better tools to focus on the stuff that matters, and one of the ways we can achieve that is by releasing and maintaining open source software. I hope to encourage and excite people about the world of contributing to open source software, and the opportunities, experience and reward it can have.

Mariam Rashid (she/her)

Ethics: a necessary reign or a hindrance to scientific progress? An apocryphal story describes how if one drops a frog into boiling water, it will jump out. However, if the frog is dropped into warm water which is then slowly heated, it will boil to death. In science, leaving the lukewarm water means abandoning research that could lead to groundbreaking discoveries -- but when is the water too hot? How do we know that things are heading in an unsavory direction, and is it in our power to do anything about it? Join us to explore the ethics of science in a lively discussion, fueled by scenarios from a new science ethics TTRPG in development by our team at the University of Cambridge.

Katie PF (She/Her) ⚠️

James Bond would have been a better spy if he were female. I've broken into dozens of buildings, from banks and museums to law firms and medical institutions. Using social engineering techniques, I've gained access to restricted areas, connected to internal networks, and even walked away with company devices, all by exploiting assumptions people make, often simply because I'm a woman. I'm no criminal; I work in Cyber Security with a focus on simulating real-world attacks. In this talk, you'll get an insight into the world of social engineering and offensive Cyber Security, learn how attackers manipulate trust and human behaviour, and you'll even have the chance to work through a real-world scenario to see if you could successfully gain access to a building yourself. This isn't a talk on feminism; this is a talk about how using sexism and prejudice can make you a really great spy.

Mark J Cox (he/him)

Voice assistants are getting easier to deploy, but they’re still generic. This talk follows my attempt to build a mostly-local Home Assistant voice system that not only controls the house, but has a personality. We’ll explore the trade-offs between local and cloud services, improving recognition for regional accents, creating custom Piper voices, and adding character to an assistant that would otherwise sound like every other synthetic voice. Along the way we’ll discover where cloud services are still better, where local solutions shine, and why a mildly judgemental anime tsundere can be more enjoyable to live with than a perfectly efficient assistant. Hmpf.

Sam Machin

Beep! A Brief History of UK Paging — and How to Build Your Own Transmitter Before smartphones, before SMS, before push notifications — there was the pager. For three decades, paging networks formed the invisible backbone of British communications, keeping doctors on call, field engineers reachable, and a generation of teenagers mysteriously popular. This talk traces the arc of paging in the UK, from the launch of the first commercial paging service by British Telecom in the 1950s through to the golden era of consumer paging in the 1980s and 90s. We'll look at the major networks — PageOne, Vodafone & BT — and the protocols that underpinned them: POCSAG, the workhorse standard developed at the Post Office Research Centre, and FLEX, Motorola's higher-speed successor. We'll touch on why paging quietly outlasted the first wave of mobile phones in critical sectors, and why a small but dedicated community still relies on them today. Then we get hands-on. Using an ESP32 and an SX1262 LoRa module — total cost under £15 — I'll demonstrate a working POCSAG transmitter built entirely with open-source tools like RadioLib. We'll send a real message, to a 30 year old pager and show how it can be useful today.

John Ginger

I built an MRI scanner. In my garage. And it actually works. A year ago I decided to find out if you could build an MRI machine from off-the-shelf parts, at home, without a physics PhD or a hospital budget. Spoiler: you can. This is the story of that journey; the moments where it all clicked, the moments where it absolutely did not, and everything I wish someone had told me before I started. I'll walk you through the physics of how MRI actually works (I promise: no maths degree required, just curiosity), what you'd realistically need to build one yourself, and what we've managed to scan so far; from eggs to 3D printed models. If you've ever looked at a piece of technology and thought "but how does it actually work?" Then this talk is for you. Disclosure: I built this scanner as part of my work on a startup in the medical imaging space.

Rifke Sadleir (She/her)

I’ll be speaking about my tiny online radio station I've been in the process of reviving. Initially I built it as a virtual 'club' for my friends in lockdown and later I adapted it into a place where friends and friends of friends/random people on the internet could stream live and pre-recorded shows. After a few years off I've decided I kind of miss it so I'm bringing it back, this time (hopefully) more accessible and better than ever! I’ll also be looking for people who’d like to broadcast a show to come and chat after the talk. Broadcasts can be any format you like—music, spoken, performance, live or pre-recorded—and one-offs or recurring!

Affelia Wibisono (They/Them)

Solar eclipses are one of the most magnificent sights on Earth. Whether it’s the spine-tingling midday twilight during a total solar eclipse, or watching the Moon taking a “giant bite” out of the Sun during a partial event (like the one we’ll experience in August 2026!), these alignments have captivated people for millennia. But what about eclipses beyond the Earth? Recently, The Artemis 2 crew experienced something no other human beings have - an hour long total solar eclipse. Thanks to their trajectory during their lunar flyby, they were able to slowly move through the Moon’s shadow, whereas Earth-bound observers only get a few minutes of totality. In this talk, we’ll explore what eclipses look like on other planets and discover whether our planetary neighbours experience the same “perfect” eclipses as we do. We’ll also venture further out into the cosmos to investigate what other chance celestial alignments can reveal about the Universe.

Ross Atkin (he/him)

Tactile paving (those bobbly bits of pavements you find around crossings) has been with us since the 90s and is now ubiquitous, but it's not working as well as it should for the blind and partially sighted people who need it. Its use is controlled by a government guidance document but this is not legally binding and it does not cover lots of features that are now common on our streets. This leads to widespread instances of tactile paving 'crimes', where the paving either doesn't do the job it is supposed to or doesn't follow the guidance, or both. We're going to explore this issue by using the Alignment system from Dungeons & Dragons to classify these different crimes based on their position on the Good/Evil and Lawful/Chaotic axes. We will review photos of tactile paving collected from across the UK (to spot crimes) as well as videos of blind and partially sighted people using it (to understand the jobs it's supposed to do). Hopefully thinking about the problem in this way might help build consensus to one day write some better guidance.

EMF Team

The ceremony in which we close the festival. Goodbye!

Karolina Czarna

Our brains are extraordinary: fast, intuitive and endlessly creative, but they also come with quirks, shortcuts and predictable bugs. These “cognitive biases” shape everything from the food we order to the technologies we build, often without us noticing. In this talk, we’ll explore some of the most surprising and entertaining biases that influence our everyday decisions and what they reveal about how humans actually think. We’ll begin with a quick attention test, the kind where people swear they were paying attention, right up until the reveal. From there, we’ll dive into anchoring, where the first number we see quietly rewrites our expectations; loss aversion, which makes losses loom larger in our minds than equivalent gains; and the IKEA effect, which explains why we love things more when we’ve built them ourselves. Along the way, we’ll unpack confirmation bias, the spotlight effect, the planning fallacy and the peak-end rule, each one a window into the hidden logic behind our “irrational” behaviour. This isn’t a list of flaws. It’s a tour of the elegant, messy, deeply human heuristics that help us navigate a complex world. By understanding these patterns, we can design better tools, make smarter decisions and be kinder to ourselves and others when things don’t go to plan. Expect demos, relatable examples and practical takeaways you can use the moment you leave the tent.

Oliver Trojak (he/him)

Get a house they said, it'll be fun they said. Well, not on a icy February morning when you step into the shower and it runs ice cold, it isn't. Modern UK plumbing is based around combi-boilers, which is the plumbing equivalent of flying a fighter jet with no ejection seat - when things go wrong, on boy do they go wrong. They provide a lovely standardized plumbing system in a box, greatly reducing the gubbins needed in your house; but they lack any flexibility, or backup plan. My crazy plan is to cram into a small house: the facility to heat water conventionally (via a boiler), and via thermal solar, ...and via a solid fuel burning back boiler, ...and an electric heater. Needless to say, none of this is 'standard', so a magical system in a box won't work. This is where that February morning comes to bite, the old boiler decided to pack-up a month ahead of schedule, before any of this new stuff was ready. I can assure you, the old 1940s way of heating water with a kettle is a right royal faff. By the end of the talk, you'll know exactly why combi boilers suck; what this vented nonsense is; what gravity has to do with anything; stuff about zones; whay my secret s plan is, and why not y; and why, technically speaking (the best kind of speaking), it is illegal to remove a heatpump system in the UK if you don't like it.

Molly Scarlet (she/they)

Ownership and usage of drones has skyrocketed over recent years, with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimating that 8% of people in the US own a drone (nearly 27 million people) and the UK Civil Aviation Authority stating that there are over 500,000 drones registered in the UK for commercial or recreational use. At the same time, satellite usage for all kinds of purposes has also increased drastically — most famously with the introduction of Starlink broadband services which has approximately 10 million users worldwide. Both of these have become hot topics within industry with all kinds of new start-ups, technologies, innovations, etc. being revealed constantly. So, what would happen if we mushed them together? In this talk I’ll explore the technical details of a number of existing satellite communication (SATCOM) systems, how these technical details play into controlling drones, the fundamental problems of controlling drones with satellites, and some potential solutions for these problems; ideally without making it out of the reach of those who aren’t as rich as Jeff Bezos!

Kate Devlin (she/her)

Protests and marches. Graduates booing commencement speakers. Self-driving cars set on fire. Why are people so angry about AI? Well, plenty of reasons, and some of them very obvious, but why is there pushback right now and how is it happening? It so happens we've just run a survey on exactly that, and we have some answers – and more questions. Like: what is the future for a technology that an increasing number of people love to hate?

Jim Wheale

How do you scare someone safely? How do you build terrifying interactions that are still inviting to try? We've been making novel interactive props using a wide array of technology, uncovering a design language for spooky interaction that has also highlighted how easy it is to make something unintentionally funny, or too difficult to understand, or too frightening to have a go, or too complex to build. It's a complex brief but has yielded a simple set of design questions and approaches that are valuable for any kind of making for audiences, putting the artist's intentionality at the centre of the making process.

Charlotte Rutherford (she/her)

(Alt title - Look at this Graph: How to make Visualisations to be Proud of) You probably encounter at least one data visualisation every day - whether that's in the news, in your own projects, or just scrolling through r/dataisugly. But what makes a visualisation good or bad? Data visualisation lets us leverage the powerful parallel processing abilities of our visual cognition system to understand data in an intuitive way. However, this system is also subject to bias, leaving us vulnerable to misunderstanding if the visualisation is designed poorly. As Tim Harford puts it, it is not always the "ugly" visualisations that are the most misleading, but the "beautiful". In this talk I will discuss some classic dataviz rules of thumb, as well as newer research that may challenge these heuristics (spoiler alert: pie charts might not be as bad as you think!). I'll also discuss some ways you can make your own visualisations beautiful, interesting and trustworthy, using the R package ggplot2 as a worked example.

Kliment (he/him)

A few years back we came up with the concept of a reusable event badge, and built the Tildagon. I'd like to tell you how it came to be, and walk you through the electronic, mechanical, and visual design for 2024 and 2026 and the reasoning behind the various decisions we had to make along the way. We'll go through the schematic, layout, and part selection, and hopefully some of the weirder decisions will make sense. We'll also talk about naming things, off-by-one errors, DHL being awful, and ketchup.

Becky Stewart (she/her)

Machine knitting has grown in use and popularity over the past decade as domestic knitting machines have been rescued from dusty attics. Computerised knitting machines are now within reach for significantly less money than their older, more established industrial ancestors. But what makes an industrial knitting machine different from one you could have at home? What does it mean for it to be computerised? What is the difference between a ‘fully fashioned garment’ versus a ‘complete garment’? This talk will start with the fundamentals of how to knit a jumper and will walk through the industrial manufacturing history of knitting frames and machines, highlighting the mechanical engineering innovations that have allowed machines to move closer to replicating the agility of human hands knitting yarn. Did a robot knit your jumper? Probably not, but it is exciting to see how this technology is progressing and what it is enabling.

Magz Hall (none)

Dr. Magz Hall is a sound artist and radio art pioneer who treats the airwaves as a canvas. In her talk, she explains how she moves radio out of the studio and into the real world—turning everyday objects like trees, books, and shoes into miniature broadcasting stations. What the Talk Covers: Giving Nature a Voice: Magz shares how she uses "Tree Radio" to turn a living oak tree into a radio station. By plugging sensors into the bark, she broadcasts the tree’s internal biological sounds directly to people's FM radios. Art as Activism: She discusses her "Radio Air Garden," where she builds beautiful copper sculptures that help plants grow while simultaneously broadcasting sounds that highlight local air pollution. The "Secret" Airwaves: She explores the "hidden world" of wireless signals all around us, showing how she uses old radio tech to create modern immersive experiences. Hands-on Hacking: Magz explains her "DIY" approach—encouraging everyone to reclaim technology by building their own simple transmitters to share their own stories. The takeaway: Radio isn't just for news and music; it’s a magical, invisible tool we can use to connect with nature and our local communities in surprising new ways.

Lee Holder / Lee Chaos

Do we decide if we can play an instrument before we've even seen it? How much of our self-belief about our musicianship is based on adverse childhood experiences with cheap conventional instruments? How can we break through this barrier and rediscover the joy of noise, sound and musical play by shifting the idea of what constitutes a musical instrument? Join us as we explore new ways of making music and sound with interfaces created from root vegetables, recycled materials and willing human test subjects in front of a live studio audience. Using a range of sensors, interfaces and microcomputers, we will explore accessible ways of making music and discuss why this matters so much for those who face disabling barriers when using conventional instruments. Sometimes, the best musical instrument is a carrot... join us to find out why.

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With the NHS promising to "review" care for transgender adults, community science and manufacturing capabilities are stepping up where healthcare is failing. This talk covers updates to the high standards that community medicine holds itself to, why these changes have been made, and the dangers of professional medicine deciding standards without consultation or consideration for their patients. Most importantly we talk about the different ways, pharmaco-technical and not, that you can keep trans people alive in 2026 and beyond despite all this. As before, viewers will learn: Why biohacking is, cool, and still a human right no matter what governments may want, How to manage your endocrine care, and help others be informed about theirs, How to move from buying pre-made meds to safely making your own, Risk modelling updated for dangerous times.

Alexander Baxevanis (He/him)

Watch as I develop a roll of black-and-white film live on stage, taking it from exposed film to visible negatives and scanned digital images in real time. The roll will contain photos shot around EMF earlier that day, with a volunteer taking the final frames live during the session. A lot of people think photographic chemistry is effectively magic, but developing film is really just a sequence of straightforward steps, timings, and temperature control — much closer to following a recipe than performing an arcane art. As the chemistry works, you’ll learn how black-and-white film development actually works, why it’s much easier and more accessible than most people assume, and how analogue photography connects surprisingly well with modern maker culture, including all the modern ways for scanning and sharing your film photos. By the end of the talk, you’ll (hopefully!) see freshly developed negatives projected live on screen.

Jessica Stanley

Flexible circuit boards (flexible PCBs) are pretty cool: they are lightweight, can fold into small spaces, are bendable, and can be designed to stretch. You might have seen one inside a digital camera, a wearable, or connecting a screen to another board in a laptop or smartphone. Or you might have had one made for an electronics project. But have you ever made one yourself? Unlike conventional, rigid PCBs, chances are you haven’t, for a number of reasons. But it doesn’t have to be this way: this talk will tell you how (and how not to) DIY your own flexible PCBs for your next electronics project. This talk is part of an ongoing project on breaking flexible electronics fabrication out of research labs and specialised manufacturing facilities, and into the hands of makers, hackers, artists, and others. You will learn about materials and techniques for making flexible electronics, weird and wonderful uses for flexible PCBs, and hear about the results of DIY flexible PCB workshops in four different countries and counting.

Mat Zolnierczyk (He/Him)

Six years ago, I was an artist with no engineering qualifications, no formal technical training, and absolutely no business operating industrial robots worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. Today, I lead robotics projects for companies around the world. This talk is a light-hearted cautionary tale of how curiosity, persistence, and an unhealthy number of browser tabs completely changed the direction of my life. Through stories of failure, career detours, imposter syndrome, accidental entrepreneurship, and one particularly unconventional job application I want to inspire others to chase their dreams.

Julie Freeman

In a world of constant pings, discover how low‑frequency, structure‑borne sound woven into elegant wooden furniture can offer screen‑free “micro‑recalibrations” that leave people calmer, more focused, and oddly reluctant to get up. I’ll share how Sonaforms, which are sculptural furniture that lets you feel sound through your whole body, create tiny, science‑informed reset moments that soothe frazzled nervous systems and invite deep listening.

Kinga Kieczkowska-Gray

For the past few years I’ve been growing vegetables in my garden and allotment. As a cyber security professional, and a self proclaimed nerd, I really enjoy the data side of this - I tag plants with unique IDs and track their performance and yield to be able to compare how specific varieties do in different conditions and situations. A problem I encountered doing this is the data collection and aggregation step. I started with pen and paper, moved to spreadsheets, and this year finally took the leap towards a more technically mature setup. In this talk, I want to present my solution tentatively called GardenHQ involving NFC, iPhone automations and cloud computing. I will talk about the problem statement, the unique requirements and limitations a horticultural setup like mine faces, and walk the audience through the process of choosing the right tools for the job and actually building and testing the system. I will also demo the solution so we can all together examine how well vegetable growing has been going so far this year.

Ada

The talk covers the chat reporting system added in Minecraft 1.19.1, and the numerous exploits that we found in it. We'll start with explaining how Minecraft servers are self hosted, and the client is untrusted. Then go into the historical context of the chat reporting system, and why we believe this is the wrong approach over giving server admins better moderation tools. Then we'll get into exploits: - Gaslight, a bug that allowed you to change the context of messages you were reporting. There were 4 iterations of this after Mojang's patches, the latest one still works - Gatekeep, an exploit that abused key expiry to disconnect the entire server. - Girlboss, an exploit that could spy on private message metadata. - Guardian, a way of preventing any context being included if you got reported. This still works. We'll briefly cover Mojangs public response to these exploits too, and some of their claims that don't quite make sense. To end, we'll explain the response and the fallout. Starting with the community response, and talking about other mods that were developed e.g. to disable chat reporting for a server. Then talk about the current state of the system, from the community point of view e.g. how many servers even implement the system. And from the security point of view, as both Gaslight and Guardian are still functioning, and why we don't think they can actually be patched.

David Farrow (He/him)

Join a professional prop maker and animatronics engineer as he flies you through his career designing and building electrical and mechanical movie props for some of the UK's biggest film franchises (Star Wars, Marvel, Mission Impossible, James Bond). Taking us through the process of turning something from a Director's idea into a 3D object and getting it into an actor's hand; he talks the techniques, tools and processes of the prop making department. From blowing things up on Skyfall, to designing animatronics for Project Hail Mary, and operating droids on the set of Star Wars, join us on a journey of design and creativity as he discusses his career navigating the way to some of the most unique jobs in the galaxy.

Ric Berridge (He/Him)

Following the talk "Remote controlled chaos cart" at EMF 2024, I have been inspired to do my own take on the same idea. But instead of starting with a trolley and a hoverboard, I decided to start with a mobility scooter. I have ME/CFS, and get to use a mobility scooter most of the time while out and about. But they are fundamentally boring vehicles, and could use a little adapting to be more fun. They are also 24v vehicles, and it is amazing just how many 12v devices can be used at 24v. After starting with a USB charger, I moved on to lights, and then a foot pedal for speed control. Arduinos were involved and sacrificed. A diversion was had when my motor failed, but I then returned to adapting the horn, and then having to transfer much of the stuff to a new scooter when a second motor failed and couldn't be replaced. The takeaway is somewhere along the lines of "Just because you have to use a mobility scooter, it doesn't have to be plain, boring, and can be hacked for interesting features". Mine certainly is now.

Geoff Robinson (He/him)

This brief talk will describe a personal remote-control protocol that can be run over APRS and potentially other similar location messaging protocols. APRS is an amateur VHF/UHF ad-hoc, wide area, resilient digital mesh network relaying position information. Amateur APRS networks operate using AX25 packet radio at 144 & 432MHz and can have a similar range per node to UHF LoRa and Meshtastic networks. I designed this protocol to remotely operate appliances in my house or my van, all within the terms of the amateur licence, without the use of public cellular networking or Internet WiFi nodes. My requirement was for a cheap off-the-shelf means to relay data two ways from inside a pub to my camper van 2-3 miles distant. The talk will include a description of the overlay protocol and its implementation using a Raspberry Pi Zero and a cheap Baofeng handy talkie (HT). I will explain how a couple of simple Bash scripts running over Direwolf on the Pi translate my adapted APRS messages and then are used to control a wide range of electrical appliances. The talk includes a demonstration of remote control of a couple of units in my van which is located some distance away. Although the talk focuses on APRS, other protocols, and options on the licence free and other frequencies will be covered.

Ian Forrester (He/him) ⚠️

Death is inevitable, yet our digital infrastructure remains woefully unprepared for it. While traditional "Letters of Wishes" provide a static roadmap for executors, they lack the agency to interact with our complex, data-driven lives. This workshop introduces the concept of the Machine-Readable Letter of Wishes: a framework for post-mortem autonomy. By applying a "If This, Then That" (IFTTT) logic to digital legacies, we will explore how to automate final wishes across various services, ensuring data is handled with human dignity and precision. Traditionally, a Letter of Wishes is a physical document offering non-binding guidance to those named in a will. However, in an era of encrypted accounts, fragmented cloud storage and AI. Paper often falls short. This workshop moves from the philosophical to the practical: * Defining the digital legacy: Identifying the specific data points, social accounts, and assets that constitute a modern legacy. * Pipe mapping: Applying IFTTT methodology to personal wishes (e.g., "If I am inactive for 12 months, then transfer my photo archive to named person * Exploring autonomy: Discussing the ethical implications of automated execution and how it can alleviate the "administrative burden of grief" for executors. In the workshop people will gain a foundational understanding of how automation can protect digital rights and dignity, starting that important conversation that benefits individuals, their loved ones, and society.

Danny Roberts (she/they)

Rocketry is an expensive hobby. There are things you can do for cheap, but cutting costs too much can impact safety, or more importantly: fun. This is a guide for how you can have as much fun as possible, as safely as possible, without breaking the bank. I'll take you through my journey running an under-funded uni rocketry society, competing on <10% of the budget of our peers, and later how I continued with the hobby on my own. We'll touch on materials, manufacturing, makerspaces and more on our trip into the clouds; cross our fingers that our ejection charges and parachutes deploy at apogee; and venture into electronics both commercial and DIY to log our altitude and pop our main chute. Rocketry is an incredibly multifaceted hobby with so much to explore and such a great community. My hope for this talk is that I convince a few more makers to try it out by covering the breadth of the hobby in enough detail to make it approachable. Specific content includes: - What are the engineering challenges? - Material Science & Composites - Manufacturing methods - Recovery - Electronics, commercial and DIY - How you can get involved in the hobby

Jenni (she/her) ⚠️

Imagine a world where were stronger. Imagine how much easier your life would be… how many fewer trips you would have spent lugging your camping equipment across the EMF carpark for a start! This talk could help make that world into your reality, and sooner than you think. In this talk I will outline my own journey from the girl picked last in sports to the woman deadlifting her bodyweight - which is way more achievable than you might think! I’ll outline the benefits of strength training at any age, talk through some common misconceptions, and offer practical tips for getting started (no meat smoothies or protein shakes required!). I will focus on strength training from the perspective of a female beginner, but people of all gender identities are welcome and most of the tips will be similar regardless. Interested, but worried that you might injure yourself, or that you can’t get to the gym enough, or that your body will change in ways you don’t like? This talk is for you. I’ll cover all of these topics and more, and hopefully persuade you that you belong in the gym too! Note I am an enthusiastic amateur and definitely not an expert or a professional. Strength training, like any sport, involves risks and any future lifting you decide to do will be at your own risk.

Charles Murray (he/him)

How are train timetables put together? Find out how Network Rail, the organisation responsible for running and maintaining Britain's rail network, fits together different kinds of trains into a single timetable, and how the competing demands of freight trains, stopping trains and express passenger trains are weighed to allocate limited space on the tracks. In this talk I will draw on my own experience of train planning to demonstrate how Network Rail uses graphs to plan the movements of trains, how different types of trains fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and how we build a timetable to make sure that trains don't crash into each other! I am an Operational Planning Specialist for Network Rail who has worked in Capacity Planning (aka, train timetabling) for the past six years and will explain what Network Rail's Capacity Planning team does, how the rail industry puts timetables together, the technical challenges, and how we try to keep multiple different parties happy.

Random Vlad (He/Him)

What connects quiz-show winners, on-line poker cheaters and cyber attacks on Taiwanese national ID cards? In this talk I’ll present a historical overview of randomness failures. Why are random number generators so often at the root of cyber-security problems and why are they so damn difficult to implement in hardware? I will go over several incidents of security failures caused by bad randomness in the last few decades, and from each incident we will try to learn what not to do. Finally, after eliminating all the wrong ways of generating randomness, possibly we’ll be left with the correct one.

Stewart Whitworth (He/him) ⚠️

A presentation explaining inner workings of the source engine, and how they are exploited by speedrunners use to try to finish the video game Half-Life 2 in the fastest time possible. The source engines other-worldly physics provides a fascinating and mathematically defined world that speedrunners have come to understand and manipulate in ways that were never intended by the creators of the game. Exploiting (and understanding) this engine has led to "runners" learning skills that are unique to source engine games, and extremely fun!

Caitlin P-F (they/she) ⚠️

What does designing software have in common with keeping people alive? More than you might think, probably. Decomposing software problems might take different knowledge than turning syndromes into diagnoses, but if you’ve got the skills to do one, you’re well on your way to the other. Join a computer scientist turned ambulance crew, awaiting results on their Masters in Paramedic Science, to learn how to take a software engineering approach to saving a life – from the roadside all the way to the bedside in A&E. No prior knowledge required: you won’t get a qualification, or medical advice, but you will learn what a primary survey has to do with requirements-gathering, how to put a breakpoint in a patient’s heart without opening them up, and how screwing in a lightbulb can tell you what part of someone’s brain is broken.

Steve Mould

Join Steve Mould on our outdoor stage in an attempt to recreate Young's Double Slit Experiment - but with sound and people instead of light waves. Learn about the science behind the demonstration, then see if Steve can get his possibly slightly too ambitious experiment to work with a real live audience, generating a sound-controlled Mexican wave across the crowd. We'll also capture the moment (or the massive failure) on film from a nearby drone. It might not work!

Jonathan Hogg (They/he)

If you remember me from "I gave up investment banking to become a digital artist", you'll know that I've spent the last 17 years being an artist. Over that time I've worked in a lot of schools doing making activities: concrete relief casting in a nursery, constructing willow Fibonacci towers with secondary maths students, designing paper mushrooms in a primary, writing haiku about water, organising giant multi-school lantern parades. My experience is that young people are increasingly struggling with the confidence and basic skills to make. Primary schools are becoming art-free zones, with limited resources and teachers struggling with their own confidence. It sounds bleak, but the exciting news is that you can make a huge difference in a young person's life by getting involved. I'm going to talk about what's going wrong and how we all might fix it.

Dreamcat team

We love escape rooms, and it's awesome how the industry has evolved to provide ever more impressive and immersive experiences. Some of the top escape rooms today are huge warehouse-spanning installations with six-figure budgets. But what if they didn't have to be? Last year, our team had the opportunity to build a pop-up escape room. We wanted to match the creative ambition and capacity for wonder demonstrated by the biggest and best escape rooms in the world; implemented with the scrappy enthusiasm, inherent impermanence, and modest budget of an amateur theatre production. What we built turned out to be a real dream. Over our five-month run, our core team (gradually bolstered by dozens more volunteers) provided a unique and delightful experience for over six hundred visitors of all ages, including twenty children, two babies, and one dog. We received amazing feedback, tremendously kind reviews, and hugely encouraging industry recognition. In this talk we'll cover how we turned our ideas into reality, what went to plan, what went wrong, and what we learned. Most importantly, we hope to show what is possible and perhaps inspire other projects, because we'd love to see more escape rooms in the world.

EMF Team

Members of the EMF infrastructure teams will talk about how we made the event happen this year, with all the important statistics.

Ottilia Westerlund-Trew (she/her)

IoT baby monitors, smart bassinets, connected toys, and AI-powered parenting apps promise peace of mind and convenience for tired parents of wee children. But behind the reassuring notifications and cutesy designs lies an ever expanding ecosystem of microphones, cameras, biometric sensors, cloud analytics, and behaviour profiling systems collecting data about children - before they even have started solids! This talk explores the privacy implications of modern baby IoT devices: what data is collected, where it goes, who profits from it. I will examine real-world breaches, insecure ecosystems, children's data gathering, and the consequences of normalising surveillance from infancy.

Michael Zbyszynski

Although immersive (or spatial) audio has a history in cinema, immersive formats have increasingly become a way of experiencing streaming music. How do we perceive sound in 3D space, and how does current technology use that to create an immersive experience? The presentation starts with a brief overview of how our hearing works. - How do we decide where a sound is coming from? - How do room acoustics affect our perception of direction and distance? Next is a survey of contemporary technologies and methods, including: - Stereo: - How do recordings use two channels to create space? - How does binaural rendering work, with or without head tracking? Multi-channel audio - Dolby Atmos and Audio Definition Model - What is really being streamed to your device? - beds: 7.1.2, 7.1.4, 9.1.6... - channel-based, object-based, and scene-based mixing - ambisonics

Tom Appleyard

Urban Exploration or ‘Urbexing’ is exploration of manmade structures – predominantly abandoned or derelict buildings. This talk will be an overview of urbexing, using previous explores of mine as a vehicle to chat about what’s involved and some of the interesting and cool things I've found along the way. Among other things I’ll cover how to prepare, what to bring, how to scout and find locations and a frank discussion of the legality and safety (or lackthereof) of this unusual hobby. The latter two points especially, much as I enjoy urbexing I think it's important that anyone seeing this stuff on social media has a realistic view of what's involved and how when things do go wrong it's really not funny. I’ll then go over the most recent ‘big trip’ I’ve done: exploring for 36 hours underground in the Paris catacombs without coming up for air. And yes, I am eating artisan bread and terrine in that photo – I might be camping in a disused bunker but I’m not an animal!

Lucy Bell (she/her)

With the UK National Cyber Security Centre aiming for organisations to complete post-quantum cryptography (PQC) planning by 2028, and Google setting sights for a 2029 PQC migration timeline, the quantum future is no longer theoretical. This talk will bring you on a journey to understanding the mathematics behind today's encryption, how quantum computing threatens it, why data stolen today could be decrypted tomorrow, and how your organisation can start preparing now. With simple graphics and easily digestible concepts, this talk is suitable for all ages and scientific understanding!

Colin Wright (he/him)

We have notations for music, language, and dance, but when a notation was developed for juggling there were some surprising discoveries.

Bryony Lanigan (she/her)

Astronomical observations show that our universe is expanding faster and faster in all directions due to something we call ‘dark energy’ – but what exactly is it? There are many theories out there, and astrophysicists have an unlikely ally in the search – atomic physicists like myself. As part of my PhD research, I used lasers to trap and cool atoms to use as tiny sensors to search for new physics, including searching for evidence of a specific dark energy candidate, the chameleon field. In this talk I will give an overview of the physics behind dark energy and my experiment, explain how atomic physics experiments have applications across all sorts of fields, and why even though I ended up measuring zero, that’s still moving science forward.

Hannah Joshua

Levitation is a popular trope of magical media, but what’s the reality? Are we actually able to defy gravity and suspend things in the air? The short answer is yes. And the longer answer is we have lots of different ways. This talk will take you on a journey through all the different approaches to levitation, using magnets, sound, light, to name a few, and all the things we’ve levitated from single cells to entire passenger trains. There will be fun facts along the way, like are there any animals that can levitate? No specialist knowledge is needed, we’ll go over the basic principles underpinning each approach, and consider their benefits and drawbacks compared with other methods. And we’ll also look at why you should care - because making stuff levitate can be useful for reasons you might not think, like making better drugs, creating holograms or improving transport networks between cities. I do have a personal bias: my favourite kind of levitation is the one that pays my bills! I work for a company exploring methods and applications of acoustic levitation. But I promise there’s room in my heart for all the wacky ways we’ve found to make things float.

Robin Wilson (He/Him)

Come and watch me point a spectrometer at a load of things, and teach you about how light interacts with stuff. What’s a spectrometer, you ask? Well it’s a device that measures light and produces a graph of the brightness of the light at each wavelength. I inherited one last year, and this talk will mainly consist of live demos of the spectrometer, along with explanations of what we’re seeing and how it works. I’ll start with looking at some different light sources (incandescent bulbs, fluorescent bulbs, LEDs, sunlight, LCD displays) and then take a look at how a spectrometer works and what is inside the box. I’ll then introduce some other useful bits of kit, including a very expensive sheet of white plastic and a ‘sphere’ that has a surprisingly cuboid shape. My background is in satellite imaging - which basically uses spectrometers mounted on satellites - so we’ll do a live look at the reflectance graphs we get for things we might be able to see from a satellite, like vegetation, soil and water and try to understand what causes these specific spectra. We’ll link these to real satellite images and cover some of the problems with doing spectroscopy from space - and even explain why a friend of mine did a whole PhD on the reflectance spectra of a concrete runway in the UK. Finally we’ll try a few experiments that may or may not work, looking at the uses of spectroscopy in chemistry and measuring aerosols.

Etienne Naude

I made an open-source lock-picking robot! It works by feeding a series of wires through small pipes to move the pins of a pin-tumbler lock. I'd love to give a talk explaining a little bit about why such a device is useful, going through a bit of the basics around lock picking and the mechanics of the robot. I've given a few similar talks/workshops about it to a wide range of audiences with different technical backgrounds and have made it portable and easy to set up in any venue that has a table, so I wouldn't really need anything special for the talk. Thanks!

Olu Niyi-Awosusi

disposable technology built in the wake of the "move fast and break things" mindset centers five key axioms: 1. do not value things that have stood the test of time. innovation over maintenance. 2. stay on the bleeding edge. no matter who is bleeding, externalities are not a technologist's concern. 3. growth at all costs. it will pay for itself eventually. 4. starting again has no cost. throw away, destroy and disrupt at will. 5. there is one true way forward. competition will mean the best will rise to the top maintenance is traditionally uncelebrated, viewed as important only when something goes catastrophically wrong. with view to paradigms like permacomputing, degrowth and computing within limits, i want to discuss throwaway technology culture, and grapple with the struggle to wrest back our futures from this paradigm.

Andrew Lindsay (he/him)

This talk is about my personal experience in assembling and testing the satellite payloads as well as working with LoRa based satellites. I have so far assembled and tested 10 payloads that are installed in 6 satellites currently orbiting the earth. More payloads have been assembled and tested but not yet launched. The talk will include a plenty of photographs and a couple of short videos covering the different stages of the build and testing. It goes through how we take a collection of parts to a usable device to satellite IoT service. This would be a family friendly talk giving an insight into what goes into getting small satellites into low earth orbit.

Thomas Lake (He/Him)

There's no shortage of power in the marine environment, but how do we turn it into something we can use? And how can we measure what's happening in this energetic environment when water and electronics generally shouldn't be mixed? A quick tour of wave and tidal power, and how we can measure the power available at sea - including some examples of how that works (or doesn't) in practice from prototype testing and research. Featuring specialised instrumentation with a hefty price tag, some rather more DIY Arduino and Raspberry Pi solutions - and reluctant use of a grappling hook. Examples drawn from work carried out while employed at Swansea University, with permission.

Jo Franchetti (she/her) ⚠️

“Fuck you you fucking whore. Fuck you”. A text I received from a colleague I was told was “too valuable to reprimand". I'm so tired of sitting through “Women in tech” panels where women are told what they can do to survive in the tech industry. The ones where women are coached on confidence, on negotiating, on resilience, on not shrinking. The implicit message: the problem is fixable if women just try harder. This talk isn't that. This will be an uncomfortable account of what men actually said and did to one woman, over one career. Ask any woman in the room. They've got similar stories. This isn't uncommon, it's a fucking Tuesday. I'm not going to suggest solutions. That's on the men in the audience. I ask you to reckon with what is happening around you. Talk to your friends about it. See it, say it, fucking sort it.

Amy (She/Her) ⚠️

Menopause is a hormone system update you didn’t ask for: no consent, no user manual, and no warning label. Once installed, it triggers a ripple effect across social, mental, physical, and work systems. Subtly rewriting routines and behaviors almost overnight. The system you once knew, which used to run seamlessly, now requires debugging, optimization, and at times a little creative patching. Menopause affects over 1 billion individuals worldwide, yet it remains poorly understood. Despite its universal impact, it is shrouded in myths and a pervasive enforced silence, leaving many unprepared for the changes it brings. This presentation reframes menopause as a hormone system update, exploring how it can subtly, and sometimes dramatically alters life experiences. Viewed through the lens of anyone who has ever had to troubleshoot a stubborn, unpredictable system, this presentation examines how this important life transition and why understanding these changes matter for you and your community. My aim is to have an honest conversation about this topic that empowers you with self-advocacy. Drawing on my own lived experience and as a certified menopause coach, this talk blends data, humor, and clear language to unpack what happens during menopause and why “just pushing through it” is not a viable workaround. I’ll highlight the latest stats, debug common myths, and reveal how menopause quietly affects your entire life. We can’t roll back the update, but we can optimize the system.

Sara Wilford (she/her)

What happens when the people we think of as “having it all sorted” start being quietly pulled towards extremism online? This talk from the SMIDGE project shines a light on an often-overlooked group: the middle aged. This includes some of the most powerful people in the world CEOs, influencers and politicians. For most however, middle-age looks very different: juggling jobs, children, ageing parents, mortgages, and a constant stream of news, advice, and opinions online. Far from being “sorted,” this stage of life is full of pressures including health worries, financial strain, and caring responsibilities. So, when something appears online that promises a clear explanation, a simple answer, or someone to blame, it can be hard not to pay attention. The problem is that the systems shaping what we see are not designed to inform us but are designed to keep us engaged. AI-driven content is becoming more convincing by the day, blurring the line between what is real and what is not. What starts as an innocent search for diet tips or money advice can lead down a path towards more extreme, emotionally charged content. Not suddenly, but step by step. This talk explores why the “invisible middle” matters both as a group vulnerable to misinformation, and as one with real influence over how ideas spread. Because if we want to understand radicalisation today, we cannot afford to ignore the middle aged.

Cai Jones (He/Him) ⚠️

Video Games are commonly in English, German, Japanese and many other languages.. but what about less spoken languages? Whilst I was working as the Lead Sound Designer on a AA game, I also ended up being the Welsh Language Lead on the project, with the help of a small team I chose the insane challenge of translating a AA video game into Welsh + Voice Acting with no prior experience in doing so and also re-learning the language at the same time, a task that I knew would be massive, but turned out to be even bigger than I thought. This talk unpacks the process of translating, casting and recording/editing dialogue for what would turn out to be the biggest video game to have ever been translated into Welsh with Voice Acting. This talk also goes into why more games should include smaller languages and why projects should consider more cultures.

Adam Abraham-Jones (He/Him) ⚠️

How can modern technology help with removing a large facial tumour and transplant the patient's leg bone to their face to replace their missing jaw? Come to this talk and find out! I am an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon and we are the interface between medicine and dentistry, we have to be qualified as both a doctor and a dentist and operate on the face, jaws and neck. We commonly deal with facial trauma, deformity, removing head and neck cancer and reconstruction of the space left behind (taking tissue from elsewhere on the body to do so). I'll show you what I get to do for a living and why you might need to see myself or a colleague. Then we'll explore how modern medical imaging, 3D scanners, computer aided design and 3D printing is changing the face of modern surgery.

Andrew Godwin (He/They) ⚠️

It's human nature to ignore or downplay risk until it actually happens - but how do you handle it in a high-consequence environment? How do you take a situation that has already been dangerous for one person and insert ten more safely? For some reason, groups of people worldwide volunteer to do backcountry rescue - in mountains, canyons, deserts, and more. In these hostile environments, ignoring risk isn't an option; so how do we manage it, embrace it, and work with it? What does it take to turn a dangerous situation into a safer one, and what does this share with other fields where life-safety is a critical feature? How is technology both helping and hindering us? Join us for an overview of mountain rescue, mission successes, near-misses, successful failures, and why exactly a bunch of mostly-competent idiots give up a lot of their free time to pull people out of nasty situations.

Jessica Collier (she/her) ⚠️

Unlike most adults, I play videogames professionally with children online all day, every day. I play the games children love, such as Roblox and Fortnite, many of which parents are not interested in - either giving their children total freedom with them or banning them entirely. I will immerse adults in my world for 30 minutes and give them confidence in navigating parenting in this modern age. In this talk I will help caregivers to feel more confident in setting boundaries and limits for their child’s online gaming, by explaining the main sources of harm in some popular platforms. I give tips on how to discuss boundaries with children (especially when 'everyone in my class plays it!'), as well as describe ways I have seen children get around restrictions. I will share the games I will and will not let my own children play - and you may be surprised as to why. I will describe how I try to keep them as safe as possible online, while maintaining friendships. Young people are very welcome to attend alongside their caregivers to spark the discussion moving forward. Caregivers should be aware that there is talk of the harms in online gaming, but that these are sensitively covered.

muurk

In 2019, I was sold on the idea that my new shower should have wifi. It would pre-run every morning at 7am, guaranteeing hot water. And when I'd get out of bed two hours later, I'd need to let it run again. But the system worked. I was the anomaly. A few years later, the manufacturer retired the cloud. My smart shower became nothing more than a shower. I thought nothing of it. For years. Covid happened and this wasn't even on my list. In a period where people became sourdough aficionados, I wasn't even casually curious about my shower. Then, during a period involving multiple genuinely life-changing events, I ignored them all. Instead I reverse-engineered a device which, in the words of bigclivedotcom, is "a beast." I soldered a JTAG header onto the circuit board. I identified functions from ARM memory dumps. I crafted GDB scripts that trick the device into replacing its own SSL certificate chain. I built a websocket server to impersonate the dead cloud. I reverse-engineered a binary protocol and discovered my shower has a neighbour routing table. I released tools early and found myself amongst a community of fellow regrettable smart-shower owners, where the dynamics of open source meet the expectations of consumer support. This talk is about what happens when a cloud device loses its cloud. It's about hardware hacking, binary protocol reverse-engineering, and building for a community that wants solutions, not projects. And it's about the people who decided a shower needed wifi.

Lauren Beukes

Poet and activist Muriel Rukseyer said "The universe is made of stories not atoms". Some animal communication could be described as storytelling, crows maintain intergenerational grudges , elephants mourn their dead, and seek revenge, and orcas wear dead salmon as hats, but as far as we understand, we're the only animals who use allegory and metaphor, myth and imagination. Award-winning author Lauren Beukes digs into how stories shape who we are and who we could be, and looks at ways to tell better stories using practical and creative techniques in a workshop format.

Simon Wijckmans

Since COVID, there has been a surge in fraud as a result of remote work. And naturally, the DPRK wants to be in on it. When I opened up some remote roles a while ago I was flooded with thousands of applications, that looked somewhat similar. I then did what any cyber security professional would do: I did some deep digging into the operation. Uncovering greenscreen computer vision usage to pass identity verification Laptop mules on US soil Use of questionable VPNs and KVMs to control remote devices Exposing what they would do when they get access to your internal tools Why they do it and the degrees of damage they are willing to do. Exposing some never talked about before details about the investigation that resulted in 29 property searches, 5 arrests and imprisonments of enemies of the state.

Thomas Fischer

Is it still your car? With a modern car running between 100 and 150 small computers - ECUs - the question is hard to answer. In 2015 some hackers took control together with a baffled Wired reporter of the car he was driving, from miles away. This led to a lot more interest in those computers constantly talking to each other over CAN bus. There is a massive playground here and most people do not even know the gate is open. Maybe you already have a Bluetooth ELM-327 dongle visualising CAN data on your smartphone. That is the crack that lets you dig deeper. The next step is the Macchina M2 - which goes so much further. You get direct access to more vehicle interfaces than most hackers even know exist. I will show you SavvyCAN and Wireshark capturing live CAN traffic and we will decode what those packets are actually saying. Your own car, your own hardware, completely legal. By the end of this talk you will want to go straight to the car park and plug something in.

EMF Team

The ceremony in which we open the festival. Hello!

Abdullah

Our political system is dominated by powerful people and powerful corporations. We work to expose wrongdoing by taking advantage of massive amounts of open-source information and skilled people who care about fighting back. We’ll talk about the tools of the OSINT trade, from supply chain tracing and satellite imagery analysis to automated aircraft tracking and countersurveillance. We’ll also talk through some partially redacted examples of how these tools have been used in the real world to expose government and corporate wrongdoing.

James Singleton

The story of how we went all electric, ditched fossil fuels, disconnected our gas supply and stopped burning stuff, and how you can too. Our experience of converting a ~100 year old semi-detached house to modern clean living, and electrifying other parts of our lifestyle, such as travelling without flying. Advice on switching to (and charging) electric vehicles, solar panels and home batteries, insulation, induction hobs and heat pumps. Mistakes made, lessons learned, what we'd do differently next time and how much it saves us. How to monitor, control and automate your low carbon tech with open energy monitor and home assistant. Tips for making things work together well and play nicely with each other. The perils of cloud integrations and vendors shutting down systems. Also covering self-build (and bought) air quality monitors for citizen science and environmental monitoring of the changes in air pollution. How to make projects such as Sensor Community and pull the data into your local home management system. Discover how to be greener, healthier, safer, more resilient/secure, spend less money and have fun geeking out on it along the way. Learn from our real-world experience in this electrifying talk.

Misha (They/them) ⚠️

Have you ever gotten a call from a relay operator who wants to connect you with someone who's using a text phone? Did you hang up? Stop it! I want to tell you about the past, present, and future of textphones, and how deaf people and people with difficulty speaking communicate with phone users. Finally, I want you to stop hanging up on me! Let's look at the systems behind different assistive technologies, how they are used, and the people who keep them running- people who are some of the last operators in the phone network today. From early POTS tone systems for the first landlines to modern apps, we'll see how a tiny but vital corner of the phone system works. This talk will be presented in spoken English with live captioning. I am a hearing English and BSL speaker. I have used textphones and relay phone services since childhood and have worked in phone technology and technology accessibility for a number of years.

Dan Pope (he/him)

Last year I went on a storm chasing road trip, aiming to capture some photos of lightning. I had a DSLR camera, a microcontroller, some wires, a light sensor and some spare time. How hard could it be to make my own lightning trigger? And would it even work? A beginner-friendly guide to creating electronics with lightning-fast reaction times, and an excuse to share some holiday pics.

Sarah de Haas (She/her)

Project CETI is an interdisciplinary research project that uses new techniques in data collection, analysis, and artificial intelligence to understand what sperm whales are saying to each other. The project includes researchers from multiple universities and institutions around the world, spanning disciplines across marine biology, robotics, cryptography, artificial intelligence, and more. This talk will give an overview of our aims and plans and highlight some of our most exciting breakthroughs - including identifying sperm whale 'vowels', and capturing the first ever audio/video recording of a sperm whale birth. We'll also discuss our approach to responsibility and ethics when it comes to use of technology to engage with other species.

Philip Dolan (Dr)

Quantum is everywhere. From deodorants and dishwasher tablets all the way to biology and obviously, a big part of physics. Quantum-mania even took over the Marvel universe for one movie. In the world of computing and technology it's making particularly big waves (and particles…😁). We are currently witnessing a historic transition: quantum technology is moving from counter-intuitive experiments funded by modest grants to industrialized, deployable products engineered by the world’s most ambitious companies. Just as the Apollo program transformed our relationship with the heavens, the quantum revolution is redefining the limits of human calculation. This talk cuts through the hype to provide an accessible overview of what quantum computing actually is, how it works, and the realistic timescales for when it might impact the public. I'll speak in detail, but in a way that is accessible to all, about several different approaches to quantum computing and the challenges that they face. We’ll look at the brutal current hardware hurdles (like keeping things unfathomably cold) and dive into recent advances in error correction, which remains the ultimate "boss fight" in quantum computing today - a race between tech giants - Nvidia, Google, IBM and hyperspecialised companies like IonQ, Rigetti and Quera. Although this all sounds complicated, it'll be presented for an audience with no assumed knowledge, focusing entirely on concepts. Maths will not be needed - just bring your curiosity, and you'll leave with a solid understanding of how we are learning a whole new way to compute.

Heidi Blanton

I am a genealogist who uses maps and technology to explore how people lived. Historical GIS (HGIS) applies GIS tools to historical sources to understand how places and communities changed over time. In this presentation, I will show how I used HGIS to aid genealogical research by integrating QGIS with 1840 tithe maps, OS maps, OpenStreetMap data, and census records to trace households and buildings along a Hampshire riverside street from 1840 to 1921. The aim is to provide an overview of HGIS in genealogy, including aligning historical maps with modern coordinates, linking people to properties, and answering questions through a single spatial view. After creating the core map, I focused on linking people to specific properties over time. I imported a colour map scan into QGIS, traced buildings, and connected them to census records and parish registers. This involved addressing challenges such as name variants, multi-household properties, and short-term moves within the same area. I also encountered surprises and limitations, including the feasibility of reconstructing a census enumerator’s route in a close-knit community. Once mapped and interconnected, patterns emerged that are not immediately obvious from the documents alone. Properties such as inns and boatyards showed long-standing kinship ties among households, with related families moving between nearby buildings and maintaining connections over decades. I will share how integrating maps with records clarified who lived where, highlighted clusters of work and occupation, and gave a detailed view of how this riverside community evolved over time.

Adam Bradley (He/him)

What is a Repair Café and why should you take part in one? Fighting against the throwaway society, Repair Cafes bring together local people with broken or worn items and volunteer fixers with the skills to repair them. We fix things like clothes, furniture, appliances, electronics and toys. If you’re a maker at EMF then your skills with a soldering iron could be valuable - or so you’d think. But you’ll find that it’s much more about how to take things apart (and put them back together again), finding what’s broken, and just having a nice chat with someone while you do it. Our café has been going for 3 years. We’ve repaired hundreds of items, saved tonnes of waste from landfill and donated thousands of pounds to local charities. I’ll share stories of the most interesting repairs, successful and less successful. And of the people who run the café as well as the visitors

Gareth Coleman (he/him)

As the full time coordinator of a repair shop with 40 enthusiastic volunteer repairers, I've learned a lot about product design and repair over the last 4 years. I'll take you on a tour of some of your favourite household items, how and why they break and what we can do to fix them. Along the way I'll share my insights into the troubleshooting process, how to apply the medical notion of differential diagnosis to electrical faults and how we decide when to give up on a repair. I won't hold back from naming and shaming the manufacturers who seem to be deliberately making things harder for us, with obstacles like oval shaped and security triangle screw heads. I'll give some tips and tricks for how you can assess the repairability of something before you buy it - ideally without taking it apart!

Charlie Bruce

A talk discussing how a small team of people have begun to decompile, reverse engineer and rewrite 007: Nightfire, a PS2/Xbox/GameCube game from 2001. Some discussion of Nightfire specifically: - What we've learned about the game so far - Pitfalls - link-time optimisation, missing symbols - Ghidra for reverse engineering + transposing knowledge across platforms - The tools we've built so far - Code injection into an emulator for testing - Where we're intending the project will go - What we're still missing / how you could contribute Some discussion about game reverse engineering more generally: - How to start a reverse engineering project from scratch - Importance of community / how much of a time commitment a source decompilation would be - Operating in an intellectual property grey zone / the role of reverse engineering in preservation Concluding with a live demonstration.

Hugh Evans (he/him)

How do you answer a question like "Is the particularly round Robin that visits my bird feeder huge or just fluffy?". This talk documents my attempt to answer this question by building a smart bird feeder that tracks the weight of visiting birds, which in combination with a custom computer vision model and a night vision web cam, helped me build a data set of all the visitors to my bird feeder. Come along for Python, micro electronics with the Raspberry Pi, machine learning, and a slow pigeon inspired descent into madness. And of course the answer to the ultimate question, how heavy is this robin?

T Stepleton (they/them)

1980: Royal Signals and Radar Establishment researchers realise Flex, a mould-breaking, comprehensively alternative vision of computing. Features: - All-hypertext interface (oddly never described thus) - Allusions to ancient Egyptian orthography - Unforgeable pointers for security - Write-once filesystem with nameless files (which you didn't mind) - Implementation in the (infamously) complicated language Algol 68 - First-class functions and typechecking everywhere (I'll explain what that means) - Memorable... hardware choices Today: Flex runs again for the first time in (probably) decades! In this spirited talk (for general audiences *and* OS geeks) I'll live-demo its unique "feel" while describing its origins, fate, and unlikely revival (hint: mouldy 8" floppies). I'll also call for help: maybe YOU know people and information needed to share it publicly. Ahead of its time, maybe ours too, or maybe outside of it: everyone should be able to try Flex. Hopefully this talk brings us one step closer!

Lucy Rogers (she / her)

A story-driven talk about the hidden science of light and the sky, told through two encounters: searching for glow worms, and chasing comets. Starting in the air around us, we travel upwards into the sky and finally in to space. Between these two stories are the bits of science we often walk under without noticing: why the sky changes colour, what darkness reveals, how light behaves, and how small observations can lead to much bigger questions. Part travel story, part natural history, part engineering-minded curiosity, this 30-minute talk is an invitation to look up — and to notice more. It's related to the speaker's new book "Up - A Scientist's Guide to the Magic Above Us' which will be available to purchase on the day (and Lucy will signing books after the event).

Sarah Wiseman (she/her)

Previously, I used scientific research in the field of Human Computer Interaction to point out huge flaws in interface designs seen in film and tv. I’ve had two kids since then so all I see are kids shows now. Turns out the issues persist and the academic study of how we interact with technology has a lot to say about the design of Mickey Mouse’s club house. A light hearted talk to discuss interesting scientific theories through the silly lens of children’s tv shows.

Harald Koenig

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are the tiny, unseen sensors that connect our digital and physical worlds. They're in our phones, our cars, and even in the Tildagon badge you're holding. But how do these microscopic marvels actually work? In this talk, Harald Koenig of Bosch Sensortec will demystify MEMS technology. We’ll start with a hands-on example: the BMI270 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) right here on the Tildagon. With the help of an enlarged 3D-printed model, we'll explore its mechanical design and see how you can use it to bring your own Tildagon projects to life. Then, we’ll transition from this single sensor to the bigger picture. Imagine giving this same sense of awareness to a machine. This is the new frontier in robotics. We'll explore how MEMS sensors are becoming the 'nervous system' for robots, enabling them to: • Grasp and Interact with the delicacy of a human hand. • Navigate and Position themselves with unmatched precision. • Stabilize their platforms on even the most challenging terrains. Join us for an impulse into how MEMS are not just sensing our world, but actively shaping the next wave of intelligent machines.

Zoe Griffiths (she/her)

This is shape, but not as you've seen it before! Join Zoe in this engaging, family talk to explore the curious world of shape. We'll be dipping our toes into the mind-bending world of topology (with ideas for activities you can try at home), exploring how geometry changes when you're not on a flat surface (with the audience taking part in a fun trick), and learn the maths and science behind an exciting smoke rings demonstration. This exciting talk is suitable for anyone age 8+.

James Cobbett (Mr. He/Him)

Join me as we discover how colour and light work together to shape our perception of the visual world around us. We’ll take a trip through the colours of the ‘visible electromagnetic spectrum’, as we reflect on our emotions we associate with the colours conveyed in culture and art. We’ll pause to delve into real-world examples and strange scenarios featuring goldfish, butchers, baseballers, underwear and more. Practical demonstrations show how coloured lighting can be used for helping health, tastier looking food, retailers swaying sales and making gambling more addictive. This talk is particularly useful for artists, crafters and small businesses, and comes with practical coloured light demonstrations for full effect.

Laurence Stant (he/him)

A deep dive into the history and technical innovations that have facilitated the (usually) speedy transit of millions of daily passengers across London. We begin with a short history of the network, cover the differences required for tunnel based signalling under a bustling capital, explore some amazing inventions to handle rising passenger demand, and finish with the current state of communications based train control which has been gradually displacing traditional fixed signalling on the underground. The author is a volunteer at the London Transport Museum but this talk is not affiliated.

Sam Harley

As the energy consumed by datacentres grows, finding energy-efficient alternatives to conventional electronics becomes increasingly urgent. Molecular electronics offers a different idea of what a device can be: using synthetic chemistry, custom molecules can be designed for specific applications, utilising fascinating nanoscale phenomena such as quantum interference. These single-molecule devices can “self-assemble” into larger structures for energy-efficient sensing, memory, and computation. The nanostructured nature of single molecules offers endless possibilities, and difficulties: wiring molecules into circuits requires sub-nanometer (< 0.000000001 m!!!) precision. The scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), which explores surfaces at the atomic scale using quantum tunnelling, could become the multimeter of molecular electronics, but commercial STMs are extremely expensive and not optimised for these experiments. This talk describes the development of an open-hardware STM for single-molecule “break-junction” experiments (SMolSTM). The design was developed over several years, from a prototype built in a shed during the COVID-19 pandemic to a precision instrument currently in use in a state-of-the-art low noise research facility. This STM is orders of magnitude less expensive than commercial alternatives and can be made using hand tools and 3D printing, yet achieves exceptional performance in single-molecule experiments. The flexibility of open hardware allows experiments which are impossible on existing systems. This talk will introduce molecular electronics, outline a multi-year journey in DIY STM development, and describe some experiments using SMolSTM (e.g. measuring the resistance of a single gold atom!). This work was conducted in part at Lancaster University as part of an EPSRC funded research project.

Johanna (she/her)

Learn about the fascinating and fun world of computer networks and the Internet - with no previous knowledge required. Have you ever wondered how the Internet works? Or computer networks in general? Have you tried learning this in the past, but found it too confusing or intimidating? Then this talk might be for you. We will start with a walkthrough of how data crosses your home network. Building on this, we will talk about how data reaches your internet provider continues its travels through the Internet. We will briefly touch on different technologies that are used (cabled vs wifi networking), talk about internet providers, and give a high-level explanation of how pathfinding works in the Internet. Afterwards you will have an idea of how Ethernet, and common Internet Protocols (DHCP, DNS, BGP). While we cannot cover everything, we will show you how to learn more about this fascinating world. The talk will show a network simulator that you can use to experiment with computer network techniques at home. It will also show how you can participate in a large network (DN42) to try different Internet technologies yourself.

Matthew Wearden

As AI systems are getting smarter, safety researchers are increasingly concerned by a new capability of these models - they are getting very good at lying. This behaviour is seen both in and out of evaluation settings, and has a fascinating range of root causes. In this talk, we'll investigate the phenomena of AI deception across a broad range of scenarios. Discover how chatbots lie for your own good, when models strategically hide their capabilities, and why ChatGPT is better than you at Avalon. We'll cover how researchers are training model organisms designed to be good at deception, and how this helps us to detect scheming in the wild. Most importantly, we'll attempt to answer the question: how worried should we be about all this? (Disclaimer: I run the UK branch of a non-profit AI safety research program, that specifically conducts a lot of research on this topic. Also, while this is a somewhat serious topic, I hope to present it in a lighthearted and entertaining way!)

Emily Selwood (She/Her)

This humorous talk, needing no prior knowledge of rocketry or space travel, will take a walk through different ways humans have considered getting to space. From things that actually work, to the things that could theoretically work if you ignore things like safety or the rest of humanity, via things that should work but only on other celestial objects. With pictures, diagrams, and increasingly abstract sketches. While some of the ideas may seem a quite sci-fi this will only cover things people have (semi) seriously considered and have known physics. No hyper drives, wormholes, or dilithium crystals here. You won’t believe number 8.

Jaeden Amero (he/him) ⚠️

Join me on an audible journey through the history of electronic audio synthesizers. You'll learn how a few popular analog synths from the 1970s operate, how to change the sounds they make, as well as how the accidental discovery of FM synthesis in 1967 changed the sound of the 1980s. We'll cover oscillators, filters, resonance, effects like chorus, and how recent chip decapping and reverse engineering efforts revealed the long-hidden tricks of clever Japanese engineers. Everything will be explained from (more or less) first principles, with live audio demos throughout to help illustrate concepts: no electronics, DSP, or music background required.

Dr Jen Locke

In this talk I’ll be exploring the history, science and art of uranium glass. It’s something that’s been around for more than a hundred years and is still made today. I’ll explain how uranium glass gets its glow under UV light, whether or not it’s safe to own (spoiler alert: absolutely safe) and why it exists in the first place. I’ll explore some of the history of uranium glass and its origins and I’ll demonstrate the glow of different types of antique glass -not just uranium. But uranium glass isn’t the only thing to set off a Geiger counter in an antiques shop. We’ll look at other radioactive antiques you might find in a shop, at a car boot sale or even in your nana’s house. From ceramics to clocks and even fossils, radioactivity can be detected in lots of unexpected places! I’ll talk about the safety of these objects as well (spoiler alert 2: some are not quite as safe as uranium glass). I’ll have a Geiger counter and a Radiacode spectrometer with me along with some of my collection of uranium glass and radioactive antiques so you can hear the satisfying ‘click click click’ as we test each object. I’ll show you how different types of glass glow under UV using different wavelengths of UV and get you guessing the radioactivity of a variety of other items.

Jon Silas (He/Him)

For over 100 years now, being able to take an image of brain activity has been a really useful approach to understanding how brains work. But, more recently, we’ve learnt how to change brain states. Non-invasive Brain Stimulation (NiBS) does just that; temporarily interfere with normal brain activation without having to anaesthetise, cut, drill or otherwise violate the skull! The plan for this talk is to tell you a bit about brains and what we can learn from stimulating them using electromagnets and weak electric currents. As well as some sophisticated science, this approach has also seen some crazy claims about what brain stimulation can do. To separate the signal from the noise, open science has had a massive role to play. The lab that I co-lead has used open science approaches to explore brain activity using NiBS and found… not much. But, by using an open science approach, and systematically experimenting using NiBS, the how and why of ‘not much’ can be particularly useful and hopefully interesting.

Holly Rogers

Pigeons - what are they good for? Quite a lot, actually. In this talk, we'll be winging it together as we look at the history of moving information around via feathernet connection, homing in on how pigeons work, and (bird)seeding ideas for why we might still need pigeon post in future. And there'll probably be puns. - Heroic pigeons of the past - Cher Ami, Gustav and GI Joe, and the bizarre ways animals are commemorated - how pigeons work - Skinner boxes, navigation skills, and the people who fancy them - how pigeon mail compares to the internet, and what this tells us about how communication systems are designed, including 'IP over Avian Carriers' - My pitch for why I think we should be using pigeon post more

Richard Hayler

Before the first silicon chip or the Moog synthesizer, there was Lev Sergeyevich Termen. To the world, he was the musical pioneer behind the Theremin, the world’s first gesture-controlled instrument. To the Kremlin, he was a high-level asset who engineered the "Great Seal Bug"—a passive, zero-power listening device that eluded U.S. detection for seven years by exploiting the very laws of physics. This talk will dive into the life of the ultimate hardware hacker. It will deconstruct the "Ether Music" that birthed electronic synthesis, revealing how Termen turned the human body into a variable capacitor to "play the air." But I’ll go deeper than the music: Termen’s true obsession wasn't just audio—it was persistence. A firm believer in transhumanism long before the term existed, Termen viewed the human body as a legacy system plagued by a "death bug." We’ll explore his clandestine work in Soviet sharashkas and his radical foray into cryogenics, where he sought to "freeze" life to wait for a future technological patch. The talk will include audio clips maybe some quick demos of theremins!

Elizabeth Lamb

They say that the best camera is the one you have with you, and while anyone can point and shoot a cell phone at something and walk away with a decent snapshot, to make a good image, a little knowledge of math and physics goes a long way. The problem is, words like "math" and "physics" can be just as intimidating to a creative as "art" is to someone with a more analytic approach to the world. Combine that with a discipline full of old white dudes who gatekeep photography by talking about megapixels and fast glass, and many people put down the idea of creating great photos and just settle for good enough images. But photography is for everyone! It is the marriage of art and science! In my talk, I'll briefly discuss how a camera sensor works and what the exposure triangle (aka "The Triangle of Doom") is, and then we'll get into the practical tips for using the science of light and a bit of art theory pulled from math (golden ratio, anyone?) to create kick ass images with any smart phone, point-and-shoot camera, or even a box with a hole in it.

Mike Davis (He/Him)

For most bird-watchers, the fun part is watching birds in their natural habitat. For me it's all about the large-scale collection, analysis and visual representation of bird-song. In this talk I'll show you what inspired this project: visually representing the complexity and beauty of bird-song. We'll start with the slightly janky hardware I built to collect the audio then move on to the processing pipeline that tries to find each bird in a tree. Finally, we get to see what an acoustic manifold looks like in 3D video form. A large, hacky, microphone array, an FPGA, verilog, high-speed USB, lots of Python and a lot of swearing at an AI. This project was inspired by Lucio Arese's beautiful acoustic manifold videos: https://www.youtube.com/@lucioarese

Ben Goodwin Self (He/Him)

Tango 22 is infamous on the railway: it is historically the most SPADed (Signal Passed At Danger) signal in the country. Over 30 minutes, I'll give a crash course in understanding signalling and protection systems, the history and placement of Tango 22, and workshop ideas as to why Tango 22 has the worst record, and how to possibly solve it. I am a railway worker with 10 years experience.

João Cabral (he/his)

The field of Alternative Controllers offers a unique way of experiencing video-games. Although all the major console manufacturers have made ventures into this world (Playstation Move, Microsoft Kinect and Nintendo Wii) with relative success, the heart and soul of these type of games are much more alive in the weird and experimental creations of individual developers, hackers and artists. Teaching classes on Alternative Controllers has led me to a few of interesting insights, which I would like to share regarding how these games are created and why. Not the technology itself, as I’m sure most of the audience would know what an Arduino is, but rather the approach I have developed over the years (which includes a lot of cardboard, dumpster diving and flea markets), the importance of bringing the digital world we created into the physical world we inhabit and, perhaps most importantly, how these types of games are actually a celebration of our innate inner playfulness, which seems to me to be so critical to embrace in today’s world.

Kestral Gaian (they/them)

Stories shape the future. The stories we grow up with influence what we believe is possible, who we think we’re allowed to become, and what kind of world we imagine ourselves living in. But storytelling isn’t limited to books, films, or television. Every interface tells a story. Every layout nudges human behaviour. Every hack provokes a reaction. Everything we build changes the way people experience the world around them. This talk explores the hidden power of narrative in art, technology, design, and hacker culture. Drawing on everything from representation and role models to UX and science fiction, Kestral Gaian argues that everyone building anything is already basically Shakespeare. Because if stories shape what people believe is possible, then telling better ones might be one of the most powerful hacks we have.

Ben Cartwright (he/him)

This talk, from a space telescope electronics engineer, looks at the background of some earth observation and astronomy missions and dives into the technology behind them. Looking at real flight hardware developed at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Harwell, I’ll discuss the importance of thermometry, how we measure incredibly accurate temperature from orbit, and how we know that these measurements are “true” and not garbage-in, garbage-out. We’ll look at JWST and the MIRI instrument, Sentinel-3 and the SLSTR instrument, and the next gen hardware I’ve been working on over the last few years. Finally, as I’m as much of a space nerd as the rest of you, I’ll be playing a high dynamic range recording of the NG-11 Antares launch out of Wallops AFB.

octoprog (he/they)

Have moths eaten your beloved heirloom sweater? Has your favourite pair of pants suffered from a tragic accident and now spots holes in various regions, where you do not want holes to exist? Is the strap of your favourite bag about to break? Fear not, for most of these issues can be fixed! Textiles are valuable but the rise of super fast fashion has led us to forget about that. While textile/garment quality is rapidly declining, so is our understanding of how to care for them. The goal of this talk is to showcase a variety of mending techniques for different garments and textile styles. Whether you prefer purely functional repairs, discreet fixes, or bold, visible mending, you’ll find an approach that suits you. Ultimately, the aim is to enable anyone to start repairing and understanding their own textiles.

Himanshu Anand

The 90 day disclosure policy is dead. I am going to show you why, with real stories from the last few weeks. For over a decade, the security industry has run on a simple deal. A researcher finds a bug, tells the vendor, gives them 90 days to fix it and then goes public. That deal worked because finding bugs was hard and writing exploits was even harder. Both of those things are no longer true. LLMs have made it so easy that ten different people can find the same critical bug in six weeks, completely by accident. They have made it so fast that you can read a public patch and have a working exploit in 30 minutes. And in the last two weeks, the Linux kernel has been hit by two back to back critical bugs (Copy Fail and Dirty Frag) where exploits were public, in the wild and being used by nation state actors before most companies even saw the advisory. In this talk I will walk through three real stories from 2026, show the actual timelines and explain what every security team, vendor and researcher needs to change right now. The short version: if you are still waiting for the next maintenance window to patch a critical bug, you have already lost. I will share the new playbook for living in a world where the gap between "vulnerability exists" and "vulnerability is exploited" is shrinking to zero.

Edye Hoffmann (She/her/hers) ⚠️

Astronauts experience cognitive impairment, bone loss, muscle deterioration, depression, and continence challenges. Nobody calls it failure. Space stays aspirational on purpose. The language, the problem-solving, the refusal to accept the inevitable — these are deliberate choices made by mission teams who understood that how you frame a problem changes whether you can solve it. Dementia care never got that memo. The Astronaut Protocol draws on sixty years of space science to challenge our expectations of longevity, caring, and cognition. The same disciplines that underpin space exploration — neuroscience, physiology, psychology, human performance — inform how astronauts and their mission teams work the problem. When we do the same, something shifts — we start to see what's possible, draw on research evidence to make better decisions, and discover that astronauts and their mission teams might be the role models we never knew we needed. This talk is for the curious, the people who like to pull things apart and understand how they work, the problem-solvers — and anyone who has dementia on their radar. If you're looking for something constructive — not relentlessly positive, but genuinely practical — this is for you. There is rigorous science. There are stories you won't see coming. Dementia carries a gravity that space travel never had to. This talk is an invitation to put that gravity down — and look up.

Rosa Morgan-Baker and Arthur Guy (Rosa: she/her Arthur: he/him)

My husband and I have been together for 19 years, since meeting at university. We’re opposites in many ways but have somehow made it work. He loves salt popcorn, I prefer sweet. He enjoys plays, I love musicals. He’s a technologist; I’m far more analogue and would happily turn a bathroom light on without an app. Yet we now live in a home with more than 200 sensors, automations and connected devices, most of them carefully hidden from me. This isn’t a talk from experts or influencers, but a conversation between two ordinary people negotiating very different views on technology and how it fits into everyday life. We’ll share successes, failures, compromises and arguments, exploring what should be automated, when convenience becomes complexity, and whether everything that can be connected should be! Now with a 20-month-old daughter, we’re also navigating screens, privacy, independence and her relationship with technology. Come and join the chat! We could use a referee.

Pippa Wady (She/her)

What can fostering rescue dogs teach us about first contact with aliens? A lot. Through the stories of dogs, including brothers Percy and Alfie (think ‘Twins’ Schwarzenegger and DeVito levels of familial resemblance), we'll discover lessons that apply equally to dogs, cats, people, and extraterrestrial encounters. From building trust and creating safe spaces using Feng Shui, to understanding behaviours in their context, and realising when humans are the challenge. Guaranteed to include cute dog pictures (and the odd cat picture).

Autumn Tulloch (she/her)

Eight years ago a 5 second bit in a YouTube video led me to develop a generalised philosophy on how to design coping mechanisms for my ADHD: The Hassle Hurdle. Ever since then I've been continuously using and improving the philosophy to manage the symptoms of my ADHD, and my quality of life in general. In the talk I'll introduce the three rules of the philosophy, how they came about, and suggest ways of implementing them. The talk will then cover some common lessons and pitfalls that I've discovered along the way, before finishing with some recommendations of practical tools, software-based tools and finally some 'Oh no I'm too good at computers and can bypass any distraction blocking software I try' tools.

Alison Kiddle (they/them)

When someone mentions knitting, it’s unlikely that the first word to spring to mind is “mathematics”, but it turns out that fibre arts such as knitting and crochet have strands of mathematics woven into their very fabric. This talk is a journey through the history, geometry and topology of knitting. Learn how crochet allowed us to visualise complex mathematical surfaces long before they could be studied with 3D computer models. Discover the careful computations behind beautiful knitted creations. Find out how the same punchcard technology that programmed early computers and took humans to the moon had its origins in weaving and is still used today in modern domestic knitting machines. Warning: this talk may provoke a desire to own more knitting machines than you currently do. No prior experience of knitting or maths is necessary to enjoy this talk, and yet there will be new ideas for even the most mathematically inclined fibre artists present!

Andy Jenkinson (he/him)

How do you make music with a computer that barely wants to make sound at all? The 1982 ZX Spectrum has no sound chip, no DAC, and only a single on/off signal connected to a speaker. On paper, it is a terrible instrument. But it can be pushed into strange, rhythmic, surprisingly rich musical territory. Part illustrated lecture, part live performance, this session will use original hardware to show how pitch, rhythm and timbre can emerge from timing alone. Expect raw clicks, tones, fake polyphony, pulse-width tricks, arpeggios, Z80 assembly, and data-as-noise, alongside examples of Andy’s work. The ZX Spectrum becomes instrument, demonstration tool and awkward collaborator, doing its best to sabotage the performance while somehow making music.

Miranda

It started when I stupidly promising my 8 year old that if the mouse brought in by my cat made through the night, we could keep it. It ended with a beautiful rendition of Toccata in D played solely by the rising star Mr Cheesey and the contraption I attached to his wheel. In this talk, I’ll cover the ideas behind the plans, the designing and development of the music box wheel, the challenges of actually making it into a real machine (when some of there parts didn’t even exist) that actually worked and the creation of a YouTube platform showing Mr Cheesey (and his co-star Daphne) running around on their mouse wheel and turning a little hole punch music box covering all the (non-copyrighted) classics. I'll also include structured diagrams explaining how the contraption works in case anyone has a similar idea they want to realise.

Tryst (He/Him, They/Them)

What is an orphan source? What was the orphan source incident in 2024? Why were we so worried? Were there any legal ramifications? What has happened since? Based on experience working in the nuclear industry, this talk will tell the story of the orphan sources, where they came from, why we were so concerned, what happened next, and why the best intentions sometimes lead to radiological incidents. No blame has been attached to anyone involved in the original incident, and aside from the original manufacturer and the regulators, nobody will be identified in the talk.

James Hervey-Bathurst (He/him)

Eastnor site owner James Hervey-Bathurst will be bringing his Foden steam wagon to EMF on Saturday 11am–1pm. Come hear him talk about the restoration of this magnificent vehicle.

Ben from Designed To Make

What happens when you combine 3D printing with the high-stakes world of marine engineering? You get a sea scooter that is born, not assembled. In this session, we explore the design and fabrication of a fully functional underwater vehicle featuring a unique constraint: a single-piece, hermetically sealed hull with zero holes. No drive shafts, no charging ports, and no external switches. This talk dives into the 500-hour journey of overcoming the physics of water pressure and the logistics of "mid-print assembly." We will discuss the engineering of a contactless magnetic gear drive system, the integration of inductive charging through a plastic hull, and the heart-stopping moment of dropping a fully powered drive system into a 3D printer mid-job. Most waterproof electronics rely on O-rings, gaskets, and seals—all of which are common points of failure. This project sought to eliminate those failures by creating a "monolithic" hull.

Alexander Belyaev

What do your phone, the night sky, and the Big Bang have in common? They all involve light, in one form or another. In this talk, we will follow light across the Universe and back in time, towards the Big Bang. We begin with EMF in everyday life - the electromagnetic waves around us - then move out to the light we receive from stars and galaxies, and finally reach the Cosmic Microwave Background - the oldest light we can see, an afterglow from the early Universe. This ancient signal shows us what the cosmos was like nearly 14 billion years ago, and it also points to one of the biggest mysteries in modern science: most of the matter in the Universe is dark - invisible to us - and we still do not know what it is. Without dark matter, there would be no galaxies, no stars, and no us. To uncover these hidden pieces, physicists use CERN's Large Hadron Collider to smash particles together and recreate the extreme conditions of the early Universe. From the EMF around us to the Big Bang, this is a story about light, matter, and our search for the dark, hidden pieces that dominate the Universe.

Tim Jacobs (aka mitxela) (he/him)

In my quest for Weird Art, long have I wanted to build a digital slit-scan camera. The idea was to take a linear CCD, a load of RAM, and glue them together with an FPGA. But as I pursued the project, things went in a strange new direction, and I ended up creating something different, something so fascinatingly odd that it changed the way I think about time and space. It all got quite philosophical. Egotistically I named the project after my online alias, and then kept it secret for the best part of a decade. In this talk, all shall be revealed...

Rairii (he/him)

The Windows 365 Link is a thin client, running a special edition of Windows 11, that can only connect to a "Windows 365 Cloud PC" and is otherwise useless ewaste. When it was announced, Microsoft boasted its total vendor lock-in plan, which they described as "secure-by-design architecture": no admin rights, no local data, EFI Secure Boot locked on, BitLocker always enabled. The last time EFI Secure Boot was locked on was Windows RT devices, and that caused me to personally break the Windows bootloader chain of trust, several times. Challenge accepted.

Joe Robinson (he/ him)

What happens when you put a therapeutic tree nursery inside a high-security prison? This talk covers the practicalities and surprises of setting up and running horticultural programmes in custodial settings, from negotiating with security to working alongside people with complex and often severe mental health conditions. We'll look at why plants and growing things seem to reach people that other interventions don't, what the evidence says about horticulture and behaviour change in the criminal justice system, and what it's actually like to spend your days doing something that feels faintly absurd and occasionally profound. No horticultural or clinical background required.

David Mills (He/Him)

Both the Sun and Jupiter and strong radio noise sources, and can be detected with fair simple radios. I'll describe how I hacked the badge to control a simple radio, while predicting if the Sun or Jupiter are in the sky and recording a portion of the radio spectrum to detect radio emissions from Jupiter's magnetosphere.

Diane Cook

What began as a simple curiosity about what happens to rehabilitated hedgehogs after release slowly evolved into a long-term wildlife tracking system built from homemade electronics, trial and error, and a surprising amount of night time garden surveillance. Using RFID tags, cameras, solar power, tiny computers, and increasingly ambitious homemade electronics, the project aims to track the movements and behaviour of rehabilitated hedgehogs after release. The long-term hope is to grow the system into an open-source citizen science platform that other wildlife groups, makers, and curious hackers could build, adapt, and expand themselves. Expect muddy field deployments, low-power electronics, strange bugs (both software and biological), unexpected toad visitors, occasional spider jump scares, questionable design decisions, and practical lessons learned while building technology that has to survive weather, wildlife, and volunteers armed with screwdrivers. The data collected is now helping support wider wildlife research and improve understanding of hedgehog rehabilitation and behaviour. Underneath all the electronics, the real goal is simple: gathering better data to help hedgehogs survive and thrive. Caution: this talk contains dangerously high levels of hedgehog cuteness, surprising wildlife stories, and a few simple ways people can help hedgehogs in their own gardens. If you enjoy scrappy engineering, open hardware, wildlife, or watching hobby projects escalate dramatically, this talk is for you.

Philomena Gray (she/her)

I've been taking extremely wide photos by pointing an industrial linear camera out the window of a moving train and stitching together the several thousand lines captured per second after the fact. I'll talk about the pains of measuring the speed and collecting each line fast enough to produce a coherent image, as well as the problems of processing and displaying such wide images.

Matt Wallace (He/him)

Inside a trapped-ion quantum computer, what really happens when you run a program? This talk follows a single calculation end-to-end. From ions being loaded and cooled in a trap, through a sequence of laser pulses that implement quantum gates, to the final measurement that produces a result. Along the way, we’ll unpack how qubits are physically realised in atomic states, and how carefully controlled interactions between light and atoms are used to answer the question we asked. Rather than treating the system as a black box or leaning on analogies, we’ll connect each step directly to what is happening in the hardware. The aim is to demystify the stack and build a concrete picture of how a trapped-ion quantum computer actually runs a calculation in practice. This talk grew out of my own attempt to understand the physics after joining a quantum computing startup as an electronic engineer with limited prior exposure to the field. It’s an effort to turn a vague, abstract topic into something tangible, by walking through it from beginning to end.

Paul Battley (he/him) ⚠️

Why are Irish number plates so much longer than British ones, despite the population being much smaller? What letters can you use on a Greek number plate? How do you drive a Japanese-registered car abroad, when the number plate is full of kanji and kana? Why do some people give Belgian cars with five-character plates a wide berth? Are those supercars with Arabic number plates you see in West London even legal? I've always been a bit obsessed with vehicle registration plates. I like spotting the hidden information in them, but I also like seeing the decisions encoded in their formats, and how those have played out over time. Everywhere seems to have come up with its own solution to the same problem, they're all different, and seemingly innocuous decisions can have significant impacts later on. These superficially trivial identifiers turn out to be much more than that, intersecting design, politics, information encoding, and even questions of identity. They're also, I hope to show, fun, and can make us all feel better about having to live with the consequences of bad choices we made in the past.

Michael West (He/Him)

Hacky Racers is a low cost DIY small electric vehicle racing series - www.hackyracers.co.uk We started in 2018 after some of our founders saw the Power Wheels Racers for Adults series in the US and thought we could do something similar in the UK. We’ll go through the basics of how to get started - from those stupid ideas, where to start to source your components along with the various construction/assembly options & techniques, along with our rogues photo gallery. We have a base set of build rules, including some basic safety items of which we can give a quick over view. The vehicle theme is down to your imagination (and/or stupid idea!) We attend any event that will have us around the country that has grass (and sometimes tarmac/concrete) that needs a make-shift track imprint leaving behind - Electromagnetic Field, Everything Electric, National Kit Car Show, Santa Pod drag strip to name but a few. We generally attend events in spring to autumn. Winter generally is the off season for building your next creation. Come and watch our non-contact Motorsport UK registered racing series (yes we don't believe those parts either) that will run throughout the 3 days of EMF on our track in front of Null Sector

Alexander Johansson (He/Him) ⚠️

Video games have always been perceived as a medium for the young, but the average age of gamer is 36, games developers are dying of old age, gamers are already living with dementia and 96 year olds are winning Wii bowling e-sports tournaments! Why as an industry are we manufacturing 400 hour games experiences for younger audiences with an abundance of play when so many older people lack quality access to even a 400 second games experience? What would a game controller designed by a Centenarian look like? I discuss my career as an experimental games designer, educator and maker focused on bringing play to audiences marginalised by the games industry, such as young people with disabilities, communities in deprived areas and most recently, people aged over 65. Collaborating with Sheffield University, we explored designing approachable game installations for people living with dementia, encouraging them to build their own games controllers out of craft materials and the delight of giving pensioners their first experience of video games, tailored to local interests and rejecting industry norms. I will try to make the case why the elderly deserve to be catered for, where industry has succeeded previously, where we've failed, what our future holds and what we can do to ensure age doesn't limit access to play. We have to engage older audiences, designing radical new ways of play and interaction, and I believe that the ALT-CTRL (alternative controller) community is well placed to be a force for good in this field.

Gero "zweifeln" Nagel (he/him they/them) ⚠️

At the first glance sexuality doesn't have much to do with technology. But understanding the history and interlinking between both fields is helpful to understand both scenes better. As everything involving humans, things are a bit blurry, terms and concepts change and with these also the understanding. In philosophy there is a concept "hermeneutical circle" which means, you go around a subject from different perspectives and often end up where you started but in that process you learned more about the subject and have some better understanding of the broader topic. That is what I hope to achieve with this talk. In that regard I will try to show that there are good arguments why queer folks early on used the internet above average. I will also try to work out why queer folks designed tech in some specific way. And how these (early) developments become subject of scrutiny when nearly every human on earth (or in the orbit) is on the internet and big business basically has taken over the internet. How regulating the internet for a majority might harm some minorities. And help others. The development I see lately is rather paradox. I feel like queer people are slowly vanishing from the internet and tend to do more things offline then the average. Where the internet once was a safe space for queers it seems now the offline world might be that safe space nowadays.

Alexander Loewenthal

I am a mining engineer with experience in iron, nickel, and now gold projects in the Australian outback. Mining is a process that we all accept happens to create items that we all use in our everyday lives. We are for the most part ignorant of what is actually required to produce enough gold to make a ring for your finger. I will explain the mind-boggling scale of the machinery, explosives, and processing to get what can be an entirely underwhelming amount of pure material out of the ground. When we are required to move millions of tonnes of waste for less than a single kilo of gold, mining an asteroid starts to look like a very attractive option. We have begun to automate the process of mining on earth, but these processes are highly dependent on gravity. What level of automation do we have? How could these processes be modified for a micro-gravity environment to be effective? Are there different technologies that could be used to mine the almost entirely metallic extraterrestrial objects? Is there a more effective way that we may not have considered?

Christopher Binny (He/Him) ⚠️

Molecular biology is cool,* and often the most interesting way to study a system is to see where it fails or how it gets hacked. Viruses enter, subvert and exploit the finely tuned molecular machinery of cells, rewiring systems to convert them into a virus factory; over a few billion years of a co-evolutionary arms race, they’ve developed some great exploits. Some are breathtakingly elegant and clever, some are messy but impressively functional, a few are just baffling. They're just like the folks at EMF. Using a few of my favourite viruses as case studies, we’ll build a simple mental model of how cells work and then break it. We’ll see how viruses cram surprising amounts of information into tiny genomes by overlapping their code, how they hijack the cell’s machinery to take control of its internal processes, and how they defy biology’s “central dogma”. Finally, I’ll describe the viruses that have inserted themselves into the human genome, becoming permanent and functional parts of our own DNA. This is a fast, accessible introduction to a few fun corners of molecular biology and virology, from someone who has spent their career studying and working with viruses. No biology background is needed. If you like learning about intricate systems and the strange ways they can be exploited, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in virology. *For, admittedly, idiosyncratic definitions of “cool”

Zoë Hutber (she/her)

Make your own Aardman character to take home! Discover your clay moulding skills in one of three model-making workshops with Aardman Animations. Zoë Hutber, an award winning stop-motion animator at Aardman, will guide you through in easy steps. Each session will feature a different character (1pm: Shaun the Sheep; 3pm: Feathers McGraw). All under-16s must be supervised by an adult.

Zoë Hutber (she/her)

Make your own Aardman character to take home! Discover your clay moulding skills in one of three model-making workshops with Aardman Animations. Zoë Hutber, an award winning stop-motion animator at Aardman, will guide you through in easy steps. Each session will feature a different character, and in this special kids-only workshop, it'll be Gromit. This session is for under-16s only, and each participant must be accompanied by one adult.

Team RobotMad

Bring Your EMF Badge to Life with the BadgeBot Kit. Have a EMF Camp Badge from 2024 or 2026, why not turn it into a small two wheel drive autonomous robot with the Team RobotMad, BadgeBot Kit. With this workshop, you’ll upgrade your badge with the supplied custom-engineered Kit, which includes: A custom high quality hexpansion providing voltage boost and dual motor drivers. A state of the art 'time of flight' distance sensor for navigation / obstacle avoidance. A colour/light sensor with additional illumination for following paths and detection of surfaces. Two gear motors, wheels, custom mounting hardware, a stable rear ball caster, and all required hardware. The BadgeBot App and a framework for your own custom code. During this hands-on workshop you will: Fit the BadgeBot kit to your EMF Camp Badge. Install the BadgeBot App and get moving in minutes. Calibrate your motor set up for best performance! Optionally if you have a laptop you can then Dive into the software to tweak motor speeds, sensor thresholds, and behaviours. Learn how to change the software to develop your own features for your Robot. Put your creation to the test in the RobotMad Challenge! Can your bot complete the Challenge better than the rest to top the leaderboard? Designed for all ages and skill levels, the BadgeBot kit supports Remote control Autonomous obstacle avoidance Move sequence programming Following coloured cards Maze solving And More!

Meurig Freeman

My kids love bath bombs, and I love 3D printing - so I combined the two for personalised bath bombs! For this kid-friendly workshop I’ve 3D printed a set of “typesetting” moulds that will allow you to produce a bath bomb of your own name. We’ll play with the mixes to make them colourful, glittery and generally enjoy getting stuck in and making a mess. You'll see how simple the mixes can be, get inspired to try it at home, and maybe come away with an appreciation for the acid/alkaline reaction that drives them. We’ll use a heat gun, impulse sealer and heat shrink bags to make them stable enough to transport home - or we’ll have some trays/bowls of water if you just want to see the reaction without the wait.

Bastiaan Slee

Snake like on the Nokia 3310! But this time YOU program your own Battlesnake and let it make decisions on it's own to beat each level. I did participate in a Battlesnake workshop during EMF2022. It triggered me as a simple and fun way to learn some logic thinking. After the workshop there, I did continue to build my Battlesnake to achieve more levels. It is kind of addicting (in a good way). This EMF I will pay forward what I learned, the battle continues! In this workshop, we will follow the instructions that Battlesnake provides on their website; setting up your server and building your very own snake. Doing it together and see if your result matches that of other participants, is a fun way to get started with this. As a bonus, we can build Battlesnakes on your EMF Tildagon badge! We can meet again on a second day (more informal) if people want to complete more levels, and test/compare with eachoter. Also a tournament has to be done, ideally again a day later, to give everybody time to build a bit more, maybe more bar setting.

Pez (DoodleMe) (he/they) ⚠️

Our instructors from the RopeLabs team will guide you through the foundations of Japanese rope bondage, also known as Shibari. You will learn core safety concepts, basic theory, and a small set of beginner-friendly knots. These are practical ties you can use at home and that form the base for more complex work later. This is a peer-based workshop aimed at complete beginners. No prior experience is needed. Singles, pairs, and small groups are all welcome. The workshop runs in lab mode. There is no sexual content and everyone remains fully clothed, it is purely educational. Regardless, the space is 18+ and sober. There is a zero tolerance for alcohol or intoxication. Please bring your own non-stretchy rope if you have it. Practice rope will be available. Bring a blanket or cushion to sit on the floor comfortably. There is no dress code, but fitted clothing makes tying easier than loose layers. Places are limited by room size on a first come first serve basis.

Julie Spriggs

We bring board games, so you don't have to. There will be a variety of family games, party games, two player games and some people to help you learn how to play them. Or, bring your own and meet some new people to play with! While we welcome people of all ages, however, children *must* be accompanied by an adult.

Michael Turner (He/Him)

Build a model hovercraft out of cardboard. Complete with a WiFi module you can control it with your own smartphone or tablet. The kit includes everything you need to build the hovercraft. It is constructed from cardboard, with some electronics to provide the control and to lift and propel it. Construction involves cutting, hot glue, and sticky tape. Those aged 6+ can attend, but those under 10 will need full adult attention throughout. You will need to bring a smartphone or tablet to use as the controller. Bring along anything you want to decorate it with, stickers, paint, and pens etc. Keep things lightweight, because it won't work if you make it too heavy.

Derek Woodroffe

Build a fully working Extreme Kits Lightning detector capable of detecting lightning from up to 10 miles away, giving an audible and visual alarm. The visual alarm has a flash and a storm LED and an acrylic edge lit display, which gives both an instantiations lightning indication, and an indication that lightning has occurred in the last few minutes. This lightning detector kit will also pick up other sources of electrical discharge, like a piezo or electronic gas lighter, and old car ignition, and electrostatic discharge or sparks. Because of this, it can be used as a demonstration of early spark based radio transmitters. The lightning detector kit is made using through hole components and so is an easy kit to solder and comes complete with an acrylic base and etched edge lit display. It also features a 400mm telescopic ariel for enhanced reception. The kit is powered from 3 AAA cells (provided) and can work for than 6 months running in standby so can be sat monitoring for lightning 24/7.

Darren Casey

Attendees will construct a real RC plane (like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mJphDl7z5A) including laser cut motor mounts. We will go through the building process, adding the electronics and setting up of the control surfaces. This includes setting up the servos, mounting the horns correctly along hinge lines, and using a hot glue gun. At the end, attendees will have a real RC plane they take home and paint, all they need do is connect a receiver and battery and fly. They will receive an electronic copy of the plans and details to make these at home including where to buy all the parts. They will also get to keep the 3d printed parts that help when building. The workshop/kit is suitable for existing RC flyers, makers who want to understand how foam aircraft are built, or beginners who are interested in joining a club and learning to fly.

David Miller (he/they)

Welcome to the world of modular audio synthesis. This workshop is an opportunity to sit with other like-minded folks and build a Music Thing Modular Workshop System: a complete modular synth! It is slightly smaller than a hardback book. It comes in a foam-lined hard case. It can be powered off any USB-C power-bank or charger that can provide 15v. It is perfect for use at the EMF EMOM, in impromptu patching circles, and beyond! Once you've built your system, we will be happy to spend time talking you through the process of patching and operating the system. About the build: The tiny fiddly surface mount components have been pre-soldered, so building the kit mostly involves soldering jacks, potentiometers, LEDs, and so on. Soldering equipment, and help with soldering and assembly are available. More information on the Workshop System is available here: https://www.thonk.co.uk/shop/workshop-system/

Henning Pedersen

We all know those soldering workshops, but what if it was possible to learn surface mounted PCBs in under an hour? In this workshop, experienced workshop lecturers will help participants make a wearable, pen sized EMF-detector using real PCB assembly techniques. We will use solder paste, stencils, a few components, and a hot plate to make all the parts weld together. The workshop is great for beginners and everybody that hasn't yet got to try soldering with SMT, and might be surprised to see how easy it can be done. As a finished gadget, the EMF detector is small enough to hang around the neck, and has a flashing, 5-led indicator for visuals. It can react to anything from a touch screen to hidden power cables, electricity poles, lamps, and everything else radiating alternating current.

Robert Nicoll (they/them) ⚠️

Part 1. Use old hiking boardwalk that has been pre cut and pre drilled to build blue tit boxes using the rspb guide. Three pre built boxes will be available for those who do not want to build a box (or want to take home the box in a flat pack form). One bat box is also available to build Part 2. Using a PIR sensor along with a non contact temperature sensor to monitor the inside of the box seeing if it is occupied and if there's chicks in the box. Using a XIAO ESP32S3 & Wio-SX1262 Kit (LORA esp32) that may be connected to The Things Network or Meshtastic to retrieve the data. Sensors stored in a 3D printed box on the lid of the bird house. Powering the box will not be included in the kit but will be discussed

Terin Stock (he/him)

Prepare to rock out by building your own controller for Guitar Hero (and open source games like YARG). Practice soldering with open hardware PCBs and flash Raspberry Pi Pico 2 with open source Santroller firmware. You Rock!

Spencer Owen (he/him)

The RC2014 is a Z80 based computer kit that runs Microsoft BASIC, and introduces you to the cutting edge world of computing in the late 1970s! In this workshop, I will take you through the steps involved in building an RC2014 Micro, explaining how it works, what you can do with it, and, how to troubleshoot it if necessary. By the end of the workshop you will have a working retro computer to take home that can be plugged in to a laptop. I will have soldering irons, wire cutters etc for attendees to use, but feel free to bring your own equipment if you prefer. With regards to the tickets, 1 ticket = 1 kit. If you are a parent wanting to build a kit with your child, or a couple building a kit between you then you only need 1 ticket. You do not need to both have a ticket. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Lydia Monnington (she/her)

Work together to build amazing shapes. Create core units and combine them into a range of different shapes. Explore the range of shapes you can create. Discover what is possible, what isn’t and why.

Andries Lohmeijer (he/him) ⚠️

During this workshop I will tell, show and demonstrate the fascinating behaviour of cm and mm waves. I will bring a bunch of modern and vintage equipment and components running from 1 GHz up to over the 100 GHz. Participants will be able to explore the equipment and ask questions. What is a wave guide? How does my own Doppler reflection sound? Together we can improvise setups to answer your questions and demonstrate microwave related phenomena.

Betty Ching

Creating DIY stickers with a cutting machine (like Cricut) involves designing, printing on sticker paper using an inkjet printer, and using the machine's "print-then-cut" feature to precisely cut them. We are all going to go home with some personalised stickers to remember the fun time at EMF. Using Canva/Procreate, we can turn our creative ideas into a 'sticker bomb' installation. We will have a border to collect all the stickers we make and put them on display.

Arne

Learn to solder by making a PCB with 34 small LEDs in the shape of a duck. When you press the button, the duck quacks! The board has a microcontroller (ARM CM0+) on the back that plays several different animations on the LEDs and plays the quack sound. You don't need any previous experience to attend this workshop, but good eyes and a steady hand (go easy on caffeine) help. Suitable for children and adults.

Hannah Vardey

The focus of this workshop is on transforming old clothes that are gathering dust in the back of your closet, into personal pieces of art that you can't wait to show off. This will be done through simple but effective embroidery techniques. I will guide participants through the entire process, starting with choosing suitable sites for their embroidery, deciding on designs, picking out colours and finally, stitching their chosen design onto their clothing. The goal of this workshop is to learn how to bring new life to clothing you might no longer enjoy, not to produce perfection, and if the stitching goes outside the lines, all the better! The workshop is suitable for anyone who can hold a needle and thread, and while some experience of sewing is preferred, it is not necessary. I will provide examples of a variety of stitches and suggested designs for beginners and more advanced sewers alike, and will be on hand throughout to help with problems or questions as they arise. Participants should bring in 1-2 items of clothing that they would like to embroider. Examples of ideal items include: ripped jeans; discoloured t-shirts; stained officewear, tired beanies, or simply an item of clothing that fits, but doesn't excite.

Boris Nimcevic

This is a workshop where embroidery meets electronics. It is intended for anyone who is interested in crafting something of their own while learning the basics of embroidery and circuitry, no prior knowledge or experience needed. Each participant will receive a canvas (a piece of textile) the size of a credit card, roughly 85 × 54 mm, with a few proposed designs such as cute animals, plants, or flowers — or they can come up with a design of their own. Alongside colorful thread, there will be sewable LEDs available in many colors (red, orange, green, blue, purple, pink, and yellow), and most excitingly, “smart” self-blinking LEDs that only require power (no software) to blink and really bring the project to life. The power comes from a sewable battery module running on a CR2032 battery, accompanied by a small switch so the creator does not need to remove the battery every time they want to turn the patch off. The circuitry is connected using conductive thread. Simpler designs can be completed during the session, but there is no pressure — each participant will take their own kit with them and can finish anywhere in the camp or at home. (I carry mine in my wallet.) These patches can be then sewn into clothes, accessories or whatever creative idea the maker comes up with. During the day they will be able to show their embroidery design and during the night the real magic comes out when everyone starts glowing and blinking.

Josh (he/him)

Two hour foraging workshop in the fields and woodland around the EMF camp site educating groups of 6-8 how to correctly identify common edible plants and fungi, as well as providing information on sustainable foraging practices and UK foraging law.

Harald Koenig

This workshop will guide you through the process of programming the Tildagon's built-in BMI270 motion sensor from Bosch Sensortec. We will start with a brief look at the sensor's physical design, including a 3D-printed functional model, to understand the technology. Then, we’ll dive into MicroPython and you will learn how to: 1. Access the BMI270 sensor. 2. Read and interpret its measurement data. 3. Use the motion data to control the Tildagon's LEDs in real-time. This session is designed to be interactive and hands-on. We'll work through problems, debug code, and explore new ideas for using the Tildagon's sensors. No prior experience is required!

Philo

In a world of super fast fashion and over-consumption, being able to fix or alter your clothing enables you to be more sustainable and resilient. Your favourite jeans ripped? That great bandshirt doesn't fit properly? That dress is amazing but sadly lacks pockets? Your body developed curves and your old clothes don't work anymore? You found the perfect piece at the thrift shop but it hangs off you a bit weirdly? Your weight changed but you don't want to buy a completely new wardrobe? This workshops will teach basic sewing techniques using hands-on practice. The goal is that participants will be able to mend small rips and tears in their clothing by themselves. In addition to that, the workshop aims to provide a basic understanding of the engineering of clothing. The prerogative is: If you have an idea how clothes are constructed, you can develop ideas on how to hack them. This includes possible solutions to all the issues and questions listed above. Recommendations to helpful youtube channels will be included. Never forget that clothes are meant to fit your body, not the other way round. And if those clothes need some persuasion, this workshop will show you ways to do so. Materials will be provided. Feel free to bring an item of clothing you want to mend or maybe alter.

Emily Robertson (She/her)

Inspired by the jumpsuits mentioned in the Ideas pastebin, this is a workshop on how to add pockets to any garment. This workshop will cover patch pockets added on the outside of a garment, and in-seam pockets added to the inside of a garment by opening an existing seam.

sam pikesley (he/him)

Don't be afraid of your badge. Let's recapture the joy you felt the first time you managed to make a computer do something interesting. Who am I? I have a complete set of EMF badges, but I always found the notion of writing something for a badge intimidating. But in early 2025, I started messing with the Tildagon at home, and it's a lot of fun, and way less overwhelming than I had anticipated, and I'd like to share some of that. Who is this for? People who: - (Used to) enjoy writing code - Know a bit of Python, but have never had the opportunity to apply that to something like the Tildagon - Would like to find out how short the path to Making Their Tildagon Do Something Fun is What we'll learn I have built a little suite of Tildagon libs, and an app skeleton. In this workshop we'll walk through setting these things up, and together we can Build And Deploy Our First App. And then maybe look at some of the things that have tripped me up along the way (relative imports, micropython limitations, &c), and how we can make our apps testable. And then have some time for questions and discussion. This workshop feels like something I would have appreciated during previous EMFs, and I don't think I can be the only one.

Mark Parnaby

This workshop is an absolute beginner’s guide to leatherwork, covering the things that I wish I had known when I was first starting. This workshop will be useful to people who have never worked with leather before and would like to learn the skills needed to start making or repairing leather goods. I will discuss the three main types of leather and which to choose; the basic tools you will need to start making leather goods (and how to use them); how to dye leather; how to attach eyelets, rivets, and buckles; and the three main types of stitch. For the practical part of the workshop, you will be sewing a leather dragon keyring which is more sculptural than practical as a keyring. You will use two types of stitch for this which are easy to learn. The leather, thread, and tools needed to create your keyring will all be provided.

alifeee (he/they)

Your own e-reader for £20! E-readers are expensive, but there exist millions of old Amazon Kindles at the back of kitchen drawers. Unfortunately, they're plumbed into the Amazon ecosystem. But fortunately, people have figured out how to break out of it! If you want to have an e-reader without the fancy bits, come and jailbreak your own Kindle 4 (2011) and take it home with you. Detached from the Amazon ecosystem, you can: download your own books and documents onto it, in any format (not just Amazon's proprietary one!); have a much more customisable experience with better font options, layout options, and personal lockscreens; and keep a more organised library of books. Finally, – and most importantly, – stop Amazon reaching into your pocket and changing what you own! We will follow mine and others' guides for jailbreaking a grey Kindle 4 2011 — which is a common old kindle flavour with WiFi, and no backlight or touchscreen — just like a book ;]. It ought to take less than an hour, but we leave some extra time for errors and experimentation. You will require: a laptop I will provide for each attendee: a Kindle 4 2011, which you can take home for £20 at the end; a micro USB data cable. You are welcome to bring a different Kindle version from home, but I have only personally jailbroken the Kindle 4 2011, so might not be able to help with a different or newer Kindle.

Louis Bougeard

Karaoke returns to EMF! Join us to sing along to your favourite songs. We will aim to keep the first hour family friendly, and you can drop in any time during the evening to add yourself to the queue.

Susannah Fleming (she/her) ⚠️

Learn how to save a life. Demonstration of CPR, using a defibrillator (AED) and the recovery position. There will be the opportunity to practice these skills, and, depending on time and numbers, potentially other lifesaving skills such as treating choking and severe bleeds. This will be accessible to all ages, backgrounds and abilities. The session will be run by a qualified first aid trainer.

Celine Pypaert (They/Them, She/Her)

Always wanted to learn how a "key exchange" works? Wonder what is the difference between symmetric versus asymmetric encryption? Not a maths expert but curious about how cryptography works? Reading this and wondering what any of this means?? Fear not, for you are in the right place! This will be an interactive workshop where we will go through various key (no pun intended) cryptography-related concepts, including (but not limited to!) the Diffie-Hellman key exchange, One-Time Pad, hashing, and transposition ciphers, using visual art including painting and paper. So come learn about cryptography in a fun way, and take home your very own abstract art, while you're at it! This session is especially geared for younger audiences such as children (e.g., 8 years to 18), but any age is welcome, including adults!

Eli Chadwick (he/him and they/them)

This workshop is aimed at beginners who have never picked up a crochet hook before. You'll learn how to hold your yarn and hook, practice the basic crochet stitches, then choose your own yarn and follow a simple pattern to make a 3D crochet planet. When you're done, you can take your creation away as a souvenir or add it to the EMF community-made solar system installation which we'll be building throughout the weekend! All materials will be provided and you'll be able to take some home with you to continue practicing!

FranzT

I will bring conductive thread, compatible LEDs and batteries. Together we will learn about sewing and Electricity to create an illuminated wearable. You can bring your own item to put the LEDs on*, but I will also bring some patches with appropriate prints. This Workshop is good for people who have no experience with electricity or sewing. *perhaps a cap, bag, or similar. Water is no immediate problem, but machine washing will destroy your creation.

Ben Kirman (he/they)

In this workshop we'll power-up our tents and campervans by making them interactive. We'll be working with Raspberry Pi Pico-based devices, strings of LED fairy lights, and buttons to make playable games that can run from a power bank. We will have kits available with all the bits, you just bring a computer and a USB-C cable. You do not need any experience programming, we will help you get everything working and help you through making some simple games. If you have experience with Python you can enhance them further and make your own new ideas, and if you have experience with electronics, you can add different controls. We'll also talk through how to design games for 1 dimension, share some examples, and talk about some the weird stuff you can do when your computer is tiny and your television is just a really long wire. We'll turn the campsite into an arcade, one tent at a time!

David Bryant

Me and my two teenage boys want to teach people who haven’t played Magic The Gathering how to play. We will bring decks of cards and handouts (explaining the rules), and anyone who has never played before can learn. If enough people are interested and know how to play, we will facilitate games and a small tournament. You can bring your own decks if you have them!

Mags Tavener (they/them) ⚠️

MRI is a fascinating and pervasive technology that will touch most of our lives. Despite this, its workings are unknown amongst the general public. The aim of this workshop is to demystify MRI through a creative activity that relates directly to the physics of how they work. Part I: Talking (~10 mins): MRI at its most basic relies on the use of familiar machines: radio, loudspeakers, computers, electromagnets and can be simply explained by analogy with audio spectrograms. Phase plane graphs are used by MRI scientists to diagram what happens to the magnetic compass arrow of human tissue. Part II: Drawing (~25 mins): Phase plane graphs is the repeated application of three rules which can be done using pen and paper. These rules are taught, demonstrated and then participants take it away! Part III: Discussing (~20 mins): Once/whilst participants have produced their own graphs, we talk about how to interpret them and relate them to MRI science. Most importantly, we relate what they have drawn to what they might experience (the techno music) when they have MRI scans themselves. Each participant will get to leave with the diagram they have created, and a factsheet summarising how it works, and what the sounds mean next time they have an MRI scan. My background is as a physicist specialising in MRI research. I will season the talk with images (of myself) from my work, and anecdotes about some of the silly things I've done along the way.

Tim Neobard (he/him) ⚠️

Make your own dragon-themed leather keyfob in this hands-on workshop. Learn traditional saddle stitching, stamping & dying techniques using veg tan leather, neetsfoot & artificial sinew. No experience needed, all materials provided, and you’ll leave with a finished piece you can actually use. Note: #1 This activity heavily relies on animal by products. #2 Leather precut with laser as 20 people punching leather in a field is hard on logistics (hammers, punches and surfaces to actually punch on!) Children must be accompanied by adults.

v buckenham

There's a long history of people making machines that can tell fortunes or predict the future. From Magic 8 balls to indie games like Wishfishing, it's fertile ground for experiencing the mystery of technology and providing a space for fun and reflection. And now we're going to join in! Come along to this workshop and we'll explore the history of these machines, and then we'll make one ourselves using Downpour, an approachable game creation tool.

Rob McKinnon

A family-friendly workshop where we'll help you make beautiful pictures with double pendulum harmonograph drawing machines. We'll have two vintage 1980s harmonographs in operation, each with an assistant on hand. You pick a pen, we start the pendulums swinging, and a drawing appears. You can take your drawing home. For those interested, we can have a go at building a harmonograph from scratch using string and paper cups.

Olivia Wilson (She/her)

Want to add another craft to the already long list of crafts you do? Come and try having a go at bobbin lacemaking. This craft is endangered now but there are many places where lace was a cottage industry for the dressmaking and millinery professions. Lacemaking hubs often had their own style of lace that survives to this day (Bucks, Honiton, Northampton, Bedford). In this workshop you will make a simple Torchon lace bookmark using cloth stitch. This workshop will cover setting up the bobbins on the lace pillow, the basics of cloth stitch, following a lace pattern, setting up a tramline, working at the edges of the lace and finishing off, This workshop is suitable for teenagers and adults. Price for attending workshop: £0 Price for taking entire kit home: £5 If you choose to purchase the whole kit, you’ll be able to take home the following: - 1 lace pillow - 22 threaded, spangled lace bobbins - Stitch holder or elastic - Cover cloth - Container for bobbins - Bag to hold lace pillow - Pin pusher - 0.2mm crochet hook - Pins

Sophia Davis

Learn how to make your own haku lei, enjoy some Hawaiian snacks and refreshments, and talk-story (have conversations) about island economies and natural resources! Participants can make either lei po’o (a lei for your head) or lei kupe’e (wrist or ankle lei, can also be a hairpiece), whichever is their preference, made in the haku-style of lei-making, which involves wrapping bundles of flowers into braided ti leaf or raffia (we will be using raffia) to create a very lush beautiful flower garland. The presentation will briefly mention some various lei-making techniques and flowers that are often used, I’ll show a quick demonstration video and leave up photo directions for the haku lei, and then I’ll put on some popular Hawaiian music while we work and open up a conversation (as a Hawai'i local, non-expert) about natural resources, natural disasters, and island economics - particularly the economics of small businesses (such as lei-makers). Since there are also many island economies across the UK and Europe and beyond, I would love to hear people’s thoughts on these issues not just pertaining to Hawai’i, but to many other places as well! Lei-making is meditative, but also meticulous and labor-intensive, so I’ll walk around to help anyone that needs a hand with any steps. This workshop is free and all materials, including the flowers, are provided, but participants are also welcome to bring their own flowers (natural or cloth) if there are any specific ones they want present in their lei!

Rob Ives

Come and spend an afternoon turning a simple clothes peg (clothespin) into a working piece of automata. From a flapping butterfly to a pecking bird, the spring in the peg provides the perfect little burst of energy to bring your paper character to life. All materials, mainly clothes pegs and card, will be provided, along with any tools you might need. Settle in for a relaxed, creative session and enjoy the pleasure of making paper characters move, all powered by the humble clothes peg.

Robin Marlow

We would like to teach people to make their own dipped beeswax candles (from our hives). We'll show part of a hive / comb (no bees!), chat about beekeeping and possibly allow a bit of honey tasting. Then after a demonstration you will get a length of wick and be able to dip it into the molten wax and make your own candle. For each participant it'll take around 5 minutes - but it's also quite fun to watch other people. (We may ask some participants to come back later to stagger the start times, so they aren't waiting around.) Everyone will get to go home with their own candle that they've made & hopefully a bit more knowledge about bees and beekeeping!

Sam Dineley (he/him)

Using 3D printed parts, electronic components, and scavenged lithium-ion batteries, we will be making custom modular rechargeable LED lanterns that can be hung in a tent or communal space. All parts are provided, including a tested reclaimed lithium-ion battery. Charging is via USB-C. Lantern pieces are mainly black PLA. Finished lanterns are approx. 14x14cm wide and 20cm high. You can choose different sides, stencils, tops and accessories to make it unique. Some EMF and space themed parts will be available, or draw something on a blank piece with a sharpie! Depending on your skill level, soldering of the components is possible, but pre-wired kits are also available. Before EMF, if you have access to a 3D printer, feel free to print custom parts. The model we’re using is https://makerworld.com/models/642231 And/or bring anything extra you want to make your lantern even more unique! Things to stick on, custom LEDs, etc.

Emily

Come and participate in this workshop where you get to build your own compact microscope! - otherwise known as a FoldScope™. Here, you will receive an introduction to the principles of microscopy and, alongside, learn the relevance of microscopy to shaping our modern world, from biological analysis to materials investigation. If you've ever found yourself interested in the hidden world of the miniscule, then take part and satiate your curiosity with this workshop: some scopes will be reserved so even people without a place can use them with the samples!

Ben from Designed To Make ⚠️

WARNING you may never think about magnets the same again after this workshop! In this workshop we'll dive into what a magnetic gear is, why these non-contact gears are useful and how they actually work. Bring it all together to make your very own fully functioning EMF festival themed miniature magnetic gear that you can take home, integrate into your own projects and fiddle with forever. Please note: During the workshop you'll likely transition through several states of understanding, starting with 'that's OBVIOUS isn't it!' to 'that CAN'T be right!' to 'WOW that is pretty neat!'.

Gareth Smith and Susannah Fleming ("they" or "he" for the one, "she"/"her" for the other.) ⚠️

Bring your clothes with rips, tears, or holes. We will teach you basic stitches and darning. Suitable for anyone, whether or not you know which end of a needle is which.

Thomas Fischer

Ever wanted to sit inside the nerve systems of your car's nervous system and watch it think? This workshop sits you there. Each participant gets a Raspberry Pi that is acting as a real ECU - engine, brakes, doors, climate control - all connected together into a fully connected CAN bus network built from 20 Pis. The network behaves exactly like the insides of a real car. You just get to poke at it without voiding any warranties (and get into trouble of you neighbour for bricking his Porsche :)). The session starts with a 20-minute intro covering CAN bus basics and the tools we will use. Then the real fun begins. You will use SavvyCAN to watch live traffic from the simulated network, identify what each ECU is saying, decode signals and then - once you know what you are looking at - start replaying and manipulating frames to see what happens. No Linux experience needed. No Python needed. No prior knowledge of cars or electronics assumed. If you can plug in a cable and click a mouse, you can do this workshop. Everything is provided. Just bring curiosity.

Ash Brockwell (He/They)

Natural earth pigments offer an attractive and eco-friendly alternative to acrylic and other synthetic paints. In this practical workshop, you'll learn to make your own egg tempera - one of the oldest types of paint - and experiment with other natural binding media. You'll be able to test out your home-made paints on different materials, as well as exploring the different effects that can be achieved with a range of tools. Expect creative fun and a lot of mess! Please wear old clothes for this session. It's also important to note that small quantities of pigment may flake off from the painting or stain fabrics that come into contact with it, even after drying (depending on the specific combination of pigment, binding medium and background) so you'll need to be mindful of this when taking your paintings home.

James Heath

We want to bring the Brighton “Burning the Clocks” lanterns to EMF. Every year, on 21st December, 1000s of residents make lanterns that are lit with LEDs and then parade them through town, past enormous crowds, to a large bonfire on the beach to mark the shortest day of the year, and the beginning of the days getting longer. This will be a sticky, crafty workshop, where you can choose to make either a star, a heart, or a clock lantern. We’ll provide the willow sticks, the tape, the LED light, the tissue paper to cover them, and the glue, and of course the instructions! You’ll bring your creative flair, and at the end of the workshop, you’ll have a lovely (if slightly damp) lantern to take away. The lanterns are made by bending and taping together pre cut lengths of willow to form a frame. Then comes the messy bit - you wet sheets of tissue paper with watered down PVA glue, and cover the frame. As this dries, it tightens to form a rigid and surprisingly robust lantern. Once your lantern is dry, you can leave it plain and simple, or decorate it at your leisure (we’ll give you the stuff you need) or you can pop into the drop-in decorating area at our trailer tent. As night falls, you can poke the provided LED light through the hole you cleverly left, and the lantern will take on an eerie glow.

cpresser (any)

Making electronics has become quite accessible. One can draw a PCB (PrintedCircuitBoard) on the computer and just order it online - sometimes even with parts assembled. This workshop will teach you how to use the KiCad software to make such a board. You don't need any prior electronics knowledge to participate. I will show you all the required steps to make a full design including schematic and PCB layout. I will provide an simple example project (a blinking led with a NE555 chip) on a paper handout (https://gitlab.com/cpresser/kicad-workshop) to make it easy to follow the instructions. Please pre-install KiCad 10 (version 9 is also okay) including the parts libraries before the workshop. We don't want to lose time with setup. Please bring a regular mouse or trackball. Using CAD software with a touchpad is possible, but not ideal.

Terin Stock

For participants of "Build Your Own Rhythm Game Controller" to rock out with their custom creations!

Miles Gould (he/him) ⚠️

Cable ties, duct tape, velcro etc are all great and useful tools to have available, but none of them beats the sheer flexibility and reusability of rope and string. But the classic presentation of knots isn’t very friendly to geeks, who want to understand what’s going on under the hood and see the connections between ideas. Starting from the simplest nontrivial knot and building up, this workshop will teach you a useful set of knots that will cover most situations, show you some tricks for modifying knots to achieve different effects, and maybe even get you designing knots from first principles. This is not a workshop about decorative knotwork, or a workshop on the mathematics of knot theory. All example applications will be SFW. There will be no confusing stories about rabbits and trees.

Damian Bramanis (he/him) ⚠️

By the end of this workshop, you'll have your own Tarot deck, and enough experience to do basic readings for yourself or your friends! Reading Tarot is a practical, learnable skill, and a genuinely useful thinking tool that doesn't require mysticism. At this hands-on workshop, we'll cover: - a brief history of Tarot (which is weirder and more interesting than you'd expect) - how the deck is structured - an introduction to the cards and how to interpret them - two different secular methods for reading cards - how to actually do a reading The bulk of the session will be hands-on practice at reading. You'll work in small groups, and take turns as reader, querent, and observer. By the end you will have participated in several real readings for real people. You'll leave with everything you need to start reading - a deck, a cheat-sheet, and hands-on experience. Skeptics welcome. No prior experience needed.

Dreamcat team

Let's build an escape room in 90 minutes. Then watch people play it! This is going to be a very rough and ready session which touches on puzzle and game design, crafts, electronics and visual art. Think Hebocon but for puzzles. We'll open with a bit of an introduction about different types of puzzle and where to start. Then we'll split into teams and each team will craft 1 puzzle or interactive experience to fit into the overall escape room. The emphasis will be on bodge something together then playtest and iterate as much as you can in the time limit. Perfection not guaranteed, fun almost inevitable. This will be followed by an open session where we'll get people who didn't do the workshop to come play the escape room for everyone to watch. If you're interested in being our test players, sign up separately! The Dreamcat team made puzzlehunts for the last few EMFs, including the one where Clippy got murdered. We also ran our first full length escape room in London in 2025, which won a REAction Award from Room Escape Artist and multiple nominations to the international TERPECA awards.

cpresser (any)

There are plenty workshops that teach how to build electronics. This one will teach you the skills required to fix circuit boards. Removing and replacing components is not that hard once you know the right tricks and had some practice. We will cover both of that - after a short introduction participants can take a piece of old electronics as practice target where you can un-solder and re-solder components. * Both SMD- and conventional Through-Hole-Components * You will notice that - contrary to popular belief - SMD components are easier to work with * Not part of this workshop: How to triage problems in circuits I will bring an assortment of scrap electronics to practice with. If you have some PCB you want to tinker with, please bring it. Or you can try working on the #reworkctf-pico board which is a training aid do develop rework-skills. If you prefer your own tools, bring them (soldering iron, tweezers, flux, ...)

Darcy Neal (they/them) ⚠️

Solder your own circuit board that turns the invisible EMF all around you into sound, so you can listen to what different electronics and circuits sound like. No soldering experience needed: this workshop is built for absolute beginners, and you'll leave with a finished, wearable piece (lanyard-ready) you can keep using to hunt for hidden electromagnetic frequencies long after camp ends.

Selin (She/they)

Using a 19th century photographic trick and a little bit of chemicals, your imagination and objects can make wonders under the sun to create unique prints. We will spend a bit of time designing custom prints using stencils, transparent prints, dried flowers and trinkets to create memorable, cool designs. We will start with a paper that's pre-applied with the cyanotype chemicals, then creating a design with select objects; stabilizing them and letting them develop! This workshop can be run as a drop in session, where attendees can come and go as they please and is suited for all age groups provided there's an adult monitoring the process for little ones, and attendees can bring their own flowers/plants alongside their bits and bobs.

Dermot Jones (he/him)

A hands-on workshop for anyone interested in repairing their electronic and electrical stuff, but don’t quite know where to start. You’ll test, diagnose and - we hope - fix* a TV remote control; all using easily available materials and the minimum of specialist tools - in fact we’ll also show you the ‘household alternatives’, just in case of a Zombie Apocalypse... By getting up close with a humble remote - something most of us have thrown away at some point in our lives - we’ll go on a journey of repair: one that takes in methods, principles and techniques directly appliable to a huge range of the repair challenges we find in our consumer appliances and gadgets. Includes: Testing and fault diagnosis (does it do what it’s meant to do, and if not, why not?) Bloated batteries and corroded contacts Getting in with an exit plan What actually needs to work for the thing to work? How to clean different parts of a device Reassembly and testing Along the way well cover the basics of how an infrared remote works, and participants will get the opportunity to compare and contrast an array of different design choices and implementations of the same tech across different remotes *Fixing is a nice outcome, but if you totally butcher the remote while trying to fix it you’ll still learn plenty for your next repair challenge - and we don’t mind, as there remotes have already been discarded, making this a guilt-free workshop

Laurence Walshe (He/him)

Be guided through a coffee tasting, including the step by step process of a professional quality 'Q' Grader. Come with an open mind and a spoon, and learn how to evaluate aroma, flavor, acidity, body, and balance using industry techniques. Along the way we'll demystify the q graders score sheet and slurp some, hopefully, tasty coffees! All interest levels welcome.

Kirsty McCarrison

If you've ever looked at beautiful, atmospheric black and white prints framed in galleries and wished you could be an artist... well you're already half way there! You've recognised the beauty, looked at the detail, tried to work out how it was created and felt the urge to try it for yourself. From landscapes to portraits and everything in between, printmaking can bring atmosphere and texture to your vision. Think it's too expensive, too technical or too difficult? This is the workshop for you... This low-cost, accessible printmaking workshop will introduce you to the creative potential of recycled Tetra Pak cartons as an alternative printmaking surface. Using simple techniques adapted from drypoint and intaglio printmaking, you'll learn how to create original prints from this everyday waste material. Because of the nature of the material, Tetra Pak prints often feel expressive, textured, and organic rather than overly precise meaning you don't have to worry about perfection. The workshop is designed for mixed ability audiences aged 14+ (parental supervision required for under 16s) and encourages experimentation, creativity, and sustainability through hands-on making. You'll learn how to prepare and engrave Tetra Pak plates using basic tools, apply ink, and hand-print your designs using various methods. The only thing you really need to bring is your imagination, inspiration, and enthusiasm! If you would like your own Tetra Pak cartons, please make sure they are clean and dry and also note that the ink can stain so be sure to wear appropriate clothing!

Arman Darbinyan

The Rubik's Cube is one of the world's most famous puzzles, but beneath its colourful surface lies a surprisingly rich mathematical universe. In this interactive workshop, we will use the Rubik's Cube as a gateway to one of the central ideas of pure mathematics: symmetry. Starting with a visual demonstration of a virtual Rubik's Cube projected on screen, we will explore how simple operations combine to produce intricate patterns and how mathematicians capture these transformations through the language of groups. The concepts will be introduced visually and intuitively, requiring no previous mathematical background. We will then move from the screen to physical Rubik's Cubes, using hands-on demonstrations and audience participation to investigate how moves interact, how certain patterns can be created and reversed, and why this iconic puzzle has fascinated mathematicians for decades. Along the way, we will touch upon some of the broader themes that emerge from these ideas, including algorithms, computational complexity, cryptography, and the remarkable power of mathematics to describe structure and order. This workshop is intended for anyone curious about puzzles, patterns, and the beauty of mathematical thought. It is not a lesson in speed-solving, but rather an invitation to glimpse some of the deep ideas hidden inside one of the world's most recognizable objects.

Andrew Hyams

The big top tent is a massive indoor space, and we'd love to fill it with 'Tiny Whoops'; indoor FPV racing drones so small light and safe we regularly fly them into our faces on purpose. As well as accommodating anyone else that brings anything suitable for indoor flying or indoor FPV, we'll have simulators so attendees can turn up and have a go, and spare goggles to have a ride-a-long experience.

Richard Sewell (he/him) ⚠️

Make your own titanium spork, to your own design. You’ll cut it from sheet and hammer it to shape. No experience is required, and you’ll end up learning some basic sheet-metal technique.

Ruth Scott

Join us for this child-friendly drop-in workshop to make catapults using wood and elastic bands. Make a lolly stick catapult to fire small objects (pompoms, ping pong balls, polystyrene balls) into plastic cups. Once made, we'll spend time refining the model and firing process for accuracy and distance. Then you can take your model home. We'll also be making giant catapults from 1m garden canes and elastic bands to fire foam balls into bucket targets.

Soheb Mandhai (he/him)

Have you ever looked up and the stars and been captivated by the endless wonders the universe has to offer? As an astrophysicist, I have been on the frontier of research aiming to uncover some of these mysteries. Over my career, I have noticed that only a small fraction of research makes its way to the public eye, despite the high quality and breakthroughs being made! A lot of this comes down to visibility of niche areas and technicality. How can this barrier be overcome? This is a topic I have grappled with for many years and it's not one that is strictly exclusive to astronomy either. I found an answer that enabled me to communicate my research to the public. Art. Art and creative processes provide a means to break down technical concepts and communicate ideas simply and effectively. In context of astronomy, we turn specs of light into ideas explained by science. Pictures of space are naturally photogenic, but the abstract nature of research is less so - with charts, plots, and tables being our main form of dissemination. My quest combined with my interests in video games and 3D modelling led me to a notion that changed my life. Using free, open-source tools (such as Python, Blender, and Gimp/Krita) I have deconstructed complex ideas and created visualisations of concepts that were otherwise intangible. In this session, I will demonstrate techniques that I have learned on my journey and challenge you to create your own space themed art!

Michel Iwaniec

Learn how to use the GBDK C library to make genuine retro games that can target multiple 8-bit platforms. In this hands-on workshop, you will work on your own laptop to follow steps for building a game framework. Ideally you should have some familiarity with C programming, and an interest in game development and old video game hardware. We will be using GBDK to make a simple scrolling game, building it up during the workshop and using the portability of GBDK to quickly get it up and running on several platforms. The workshop will also diverge from the pure-portability mindset and show how to tweak the game for a particular platform - especially when it comes to support for music / sound effects. The platforms covered will be: * Nintendo Game Boy * Nintendo Game Boy Color * Nintendo Famicom / NES * Sega Game Gear * Sega Master System Topics covered will be: * Downloading and configuring GBDK with a suitable coding IDE (VS Code recommended) * How to get started designing 2BPP graphics assets and levels * How to utilize the hardware features for scrolling levels * How GBDK's auto-banking feature allows easy memory management for assets and code * How to improve each game build to take advantage of more colourful platforms * Challenges of designing a game using two distinct viewport sizes * What tools exist for music / sound effects on each platform

octoprog (he/they)

Weaving usually sounds like this very archaic and complicated craft, that requires you to give up your entire living room for some complicated apparatus. Thankfully it doesn't have to be that way! In this workshop you will learn the very basics of weaving bands (narrow long strips of fabric) you can use for fun things like lanyards, bracelets, belts, bag straps, and more. You will create your own very simple and somewhat portable weaving tools and learn how to use everyday materials to create your first woven project. For those who already have some weaving experience or are interested in the technical details: We’ll use a backstrap weaving setup to create tension. The weaving technique you will learn is called tablet weaving. The yarn provided will be 100% cotton. This workshop is not about creating the a professional weaving setup but rather a very low cost and accessible introduction to weaving. If you already possess a portable loom or previous knowledge/experience, please feel more than welcome to join us, bring your own equipment, and also potentially share what you already know. If you're new to weaving, but want to bring your own yarn: consider picking a smooth and not too thick yarn to make your first project. Disclaimer: I'm not a professional weaver, but somebody with a special interest in all things textiles who wants to share the knowledge. If you require any accommodations due to e.g. vision impairments, sensory issues, and want to participate: please feel free to reach out. I would love to have you and will try my very best to help.

Nottingham Hackspace (& Alifeee) (various)

Create your own home on the web! This workshop will be guided tinkering walking you through how to script your own web page. You will get hands-on with Old Skool web design. You will leave with your own website. You will learn: What the internet is What is happening when you look at a website (HTTP) How to use HTML/CSS to make a website This will include basic HTML syntax, the most common elements, and the rudiments of CSS. The limit is your imagination (and 2 hours ;^) )! This workshop is an introduction to making your own personal homepage. YOU WILL LEAVE WITH YOUR OWN WEBSITE!!! If you have made a website before, this workshop is probably not for you, but please do recommend it to your friends!

Kubrick's masterpiece was a must-have for a space-themed EMF. '2001: A Space Odyssey' stands as a visually stunning masterpiece that creates overwhelming cosmic wonder through breathtaking cinematography and ambitious scope spanning human evolution. The thought-provoking narrative invites personal interpretation about consciousness and humanity's place in the universe. It's got HAL in it too.

Showing on the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch. After The Screening: Q&A With Producer Stephen Slater and Empire's Helen O'Hara Created from thousands of hours of footage, much of which has never been seen before, this cinematic masterpiece covers the Apollo 11 mission from launch to splashdown. By omitting narration the misson unfolds through stunning visuals and the words of the people who were there, the lovingly restored and assembled footage telling the story. It is an absolute must on a big screen.

The thrilling true story of the Apollo mission that very nearly never made it home. Tom Hanks excels as Jim Lovell, trapped thousands of miles away in a barely-working spaceship. Ron Howard builds the tension to fever-point, even though we know the outcome. We are proud to present this movie on an original 35mm print.

Our final film is one of our most requested. Contact is adaptation of Carl Sagan's book on how we may encounter alien life. A message is received from deep space with instructions for a new type of craft. What follows is politics, lies and wonder. The cinematography alone make this worth a watch. How did they shoot the scene with the bathroom cabinet?

How could we not show this? Do we even need to write this blurb? Legendary hacker Zero Cool and his friends have been framed by The Plague, who has unleashed a computer virus that could cause an environmental disaster. Pursued by the Secret Service, the gang try to gather the evidence to take The Plague down and stop the virus from unleashing havoc. A bumper-fest of hacking, car chases and double-crossing that has become lore in geek culture. Endlessly quotable and an EMF tradition. We welcome back director Iain Softley to introduce the film. "EMF is the spiritual home of Hackers" - Iain Softley

Our final morning film is a kid's classic and if you haven't seen the original animated version, come join us. After encountering an injured dragon, Hiccup the viking discovers that their fire-breathing enemies are misunderstood and an unlikely friendship emerges. Great comedy and the cutest darn dragon you've ever seen. Presented on an original 35mm print.

When Sam Bell signs up for a three-year mining contract working on Sarang Moon base, he assumes he is alone. He is wrong. Beautifully shot by Duncan Jones and with thumping music by Clint Mansell, Moon is dark, claustrophobic and at times surreal.

Hello. Our name is Films Team. You've attended our screening, prepare to see a movie. Winding up our programme, this special tribute to the late Rob Reiner is an outright classic. Despite it's fairytale exterior, it's full of laughs, endlessly quotable lines, pythonesque moments and of course that speech. Come and join in with all best lines. Missing this? INCONCEIVABLE!

In our first of two films celebrating the life and works of Rob Reiner, we join hapless UK rockers Spinal Tap on a comeback tour of America where everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. Endlessly quotable, this documentary (sorry, rockumentary) put Reiner on the map and gave birth to a now-legendary band.

In a morning special presentation for our younger attendees (although all are welcome), we spend Friday morning with WALL-E, one of Pixar's most-loved features. In a future where humans have temporarily abandoned Earth, a trash-compacting robot falls in love with a flying droid and helps her on her quest to restore hope to mankind. Charming animation and solid story.

Two of Aardman's finest. Nick Park's first outing with Wallace & Gromit sees them heading to the moon to top-up their cheese supplies. There they meet a little lonely robot and help it find happiness. And cheese. Following that, The Wrong Trousers is our first encounter with super-villan Feathers McGraw. Have you seen this chicken? Worth it for the train chase alone.