Build Your Own OpenClaw from Scratch with Ivan Leo (Manus)
- Date
- 2026-02-28
- Host
- Vanishing Gradients Livestreams
About this event
If you've been curious about building robotics hardware with your own hands, this is the kind of meetup that turns that curiosity into something real. Build Your Own OpenClaw from Scratch with Ivan Leo (Manus) is a practical, in-person session built around making, learning, and talking with other people who care about open hardware, robotics, and hands-on experimentation. This is not a passive talk where you sit in the back and watch slides go by. It’s a community-focused event designed to bring people together around a concrete build, with room for questions, discussion, and the kind of problem-solving that only happens when people are physically in the same space. About the Event At its core, this event is about learning by building. The focus is the OpenClaw: taking it from concept to something you can understand piece by piece, with guidance from Ivan Leo (Manus) and the energy of an in-person meetup environment. Expect a format that blends demonstration, explanation, and collaborative learning. Rather than keeping things abstract, the session is centered on the actual process of assembling and understanding the system from scratch, making it especially appealing if you like technical ideas best when they’re tied to real components and real decisions. Because the event also sits at the intersection of community, networking, meetup, and social, it’s not only about the build itself. It’s also a chance to meet people who share an interest in robotics, fabrication, open-source tools, and hardware-led experimentation, whether you’re deeply technical already or just starting to explore the space. What to Expect You should expect a session that is structured enough to give you momentum, but open enough to make conversation and questions part of the experience. The emphasis is on understanding how the OpenClaw comes together, not just seeing the finished result. A likely flow for the event includes: An introduction to the OpenClaw build and what attendees will be working through Guided explanation from Ivan Leo (Manus) on the build process, components, and design logic Hands-on construction or step-by-step walkthroughs focused on how the system is assembled from scratch Opportunities to ask questions in real time, troubleshoot, and compare notes with others in the room Informal networking and conversation with fellow attendees interested in hardware, robotics, and making This kind of event works well because it gives you multiple ways to participate. You can come to learn foundational concepts, to go deeper on implementation details, to meet collaborators, or simply to spend time around people building interesting things. Because it’s in person, the value is very different from reading documentation or watching a video later. You get immediacy: seeing parts up close, hearing the reasoning behind build choices, and being able to ask the exact question that comes up at the exact moment it matters. Why Attend If you’ve ever wanted a more tactile entry point into robotics or open hardware, this event gives you one. Building something from scratch forces clarity: you see how pieces relate, where complexity actually lives, and what matters most when turning an idea into a working object. You’ll also gain something that’s hard to get from purely online learning: context. A live build session makes it easier to understand tradeoffs, common sticking points, and practical decisions that often get glossed over in polished tutorials. Reasons this event is worth your time: You’ll learn through doing, not just through theory You’ll get direct insight from someone leading the build process You’ll meet people nearby with overlapping interests in robotics, hardware, and maker culture You’ll leave with a clearer mental model of how an OpenClaw-style system comes together You may discover your next project, collaborator, or community through the conversations around the build Whether you’re motivated by technical curiosity, creative experimentation, or the social side of the maker community, this event offers a useful mix of all three. It is focused enough to be genuinely educational and open enough to feel welcoming. Practical Details This is an in-person event, which means you should come ready for a live, shared-room experience rather than a lecture you can half-attend in the background. The in-person format is part of the appeal: it supports direct interaction, spontaneous discussion, and a closer look at the build process. When: Saturday, February 28 at 11:30 AM GMT+11 Location type: In person If you’re deciding whether to make time for it, think of this as a strong fit for a late-morning weekend session: technical enough to be substantial, social enough to be energizing, and practical enough that you’re likely to walk away with ideas you’ll want to keep exploring afterward. If you enjoy events where you can learn something concrete, ask smart questions, and meet people who care about building real things, this one should be on your list.
Who should attend
This event is for people who want a more hands-on, social way into robotics and open hardware. - You’re curious about **building hardware from scratch** and want to understand how a project like OpenClaw comes together in practice. - You learn best when you can **see the parts, follow the process, and ask questions live** instead of only reading or watching from a distance. - You’re into **robotics, maker projects, fabrication, or open-source hardware** and want to spend time with others who share that interest. - You’re a builder, engineer, student, hobbyist, or technically curious attendee who enjoys **practical sessions with real components and real decisions**. - You want the community side too: a chance to **meet collaborators, trade ideas, and have good technical conversations** in person. - You don’t need to be an expert. If you’re motivated, interested, and excited by the idea of learning through a concrete build, you’ll likely feel at home here.