ABOUT

Who are we and what motivates us.

Welcome to the Sensemakers Community in Amsterdam!

We’re a curious and hands-on community where people come together to connect, experiment, and share knowledge, ideas, and real-world experience with technology.

Sensemakers was founded in 2011, at a time when hardware and sensors suddenly became affordable and accessible. This sparked a wave of creativity: people could finally build things themselves. At our early meetups, members would show and tell their Internet of Things projects, prototypes, and bold ideas. One of the most well-known initiatives to grow out of our community is The Things Network—a global, collaborative IoT ecosystem based on LoRa technology.

Over the years, our interests have expanded beyond IoT to include robotics, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies in general. We also actively participate in citizen science projects, exploring how technology can contribute to society in meaningful ways.

Everything we do is still 100% volunteer-driven, which makes the support we receive extra special. We’re incredibly grateful that SURF hosts the backend for some of our projects, and that our meetups take place at the Public Library of Amsterdam (OBA)—where we even get access to their 3D printer and laser cutter!

Events

We meet twice a month in person, every first and third Wednesday evening, at the main OBA library in the heart of Amsterdam.

  • First Wednesday: Do-It-Yourself-Together (DIY sessions where we help each other)

  • Third Wednesday: Workshops or inspiring lectures

Check out our upcoming events here.

And the exchange doesn’t stop after the meetup! Our Slack Community is an active space where members ask questions, share ideas, and help each other out. Want to join? Just fill in the contact form to get access, as well as to receive the bi-monthly newsletter.

Who are we?

Sensemakers is a collective effort. Some of our active, co-organising members value their privacy, so not everyone is listed here.

Manon. Involved with the sensmakers community since 2013. She’s fascinated by how technology can both empower people and challenge their rights. Always eager to learn and share new insights. While not a maker in the traditional sense, she’s a key organiser of the community. If you have ideas for workshops, speakers, collaborations, or general questions, feel free to reach out via the contact form or Slack!

Karijn. I’m a freelance application and embedded developer who loves building things that actually work in the real world. Whether it’s .NET WPF/MAUI software, microcontroller projects, or IoT prototypes, I enjoy turning ideas into something you can hold, test, and improve. I train teams in C, C#, Python, and Sql and as a host at Sensemakers Amsterdam I coach people in MicroPython, Arduino based projects, 3D-printing and laser cutting, and get a lot of energy from helping others explore technology. I have a soft spot for strange technical things — especially lamps, lights, and other glowing experiments — the odd, the experimental, the “why does this even exist?” projects that spark curiosity and make learning fun. Besides all that I’m equally happy around a BBQ or an open flame, cooking, and enjoying the warmth that comes with good company and good food.

Michiel. Michiel Bontenbal works at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam and is with Sensemakers to run AI models ‘on the edge’. He is very active in the UrbanSounds project. He also likes to learn more on embedded devices, robotics and computer vision. For Sensemakers he hosted workshops on how to run local LMM’s and build applications with them.