Current Projects
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- Adapting toys with Replay For Kids
- 3D Printed Prosthetics with GLSC
- Reducing the Mental Health Stigma with Frat Dads
- Using Technology to Mobilize Kindness with R.A.K.E.
- Bridging the Gap with GCP
- Social Entrepreneurship with VEALE
- Safter Transportation with RTA
- 3D Printed Art with MOCA
- Improving Science Literacy with GLSC
- MC2STEM
- 3D Printed Prosthetics with GLSC
How can we use 3D printing to make prosthetics more accessible?
About the project
Of the more than 100 million people who are in need of a prosthetic, 80 percent do not have access to one. With a limb amputation happening once every 30 seconds worldwide, the need for affordable prosthetic devices worldwide continues to increase. This project teaches students to use 3D printing to design and make prosthetic hands that will be donated to children in need around the world, in partnership with the Great Lakes Science Center's Hands Across Borders initiative.
About the Partnership
Members of CMSD's six robotics teams have been 3D printing and assembling prosthetic hands through the Great Lakes Science Center's Hands Across Borders Initiative in partnership with IMA Helps. The hands are designed by volunteers working with the E-nable Foundation and are publicly available, with parts 3D printed in the GLSC Robotics lab and the MC2STEM FabLab. The Great Lakes Science Center is Cleveland's premier location for science education, and hosts MC2STEM's 9th Grade classrooms.
Project Deliverables
Phase 1 - 3D Print and assemble devices
Students will be given requests for prosthetic devices from GLSC for patients worldwide that will be 3D printed, and assembled to be shipped. Students will learn the basics of 3D printing, including differentiating between different types of materials, slicing 3D models, operating a 3D printer, and post processing and cleaning of 3D printed parts.
Students will also be filling out the inventory of parts to ensure that hands can be built and shipped with a quick turnaround time. This phase is an ongoing element of the project throughout the semester.
Phase 2 - Testing different designs
Students will construct many different hand designs sourced from the e-NABLE foundation and other publicly available sources using 3D printed components. Following this, they will create a set of experiments to assess the functionality of each design in everyday activities, as well as evaluate their durability and sturdiness.
Phase 3
Students will learn the fundamentals of Onshape CAD design software while creating and testing innovative extensions, adaptations, or modifications for existing prosthetics. These designs could fulfill requests or address specific needs identified by students.
