3D Printing, eNABLE, Experience

e-NABLE Osprey Hand Assembly Mat

December 16, 2018

I’ve written before about 3D printing prosthetic hands for the e-NABLE movement and how Eagle Scouts are creating visual documentation to empower volunteers building hands to give away freely.

I really like working with Eagle Scouts. They are skilled, polite, and eager to do what’s right, even if it means they need to do more or rethink their approach. I previously worked with a local Eagle Scout, so was enthusiastic when Jen Owen of Enabling the Future introduced me to Caleb Johnson, a Utah-based Scout seeking his Eagle badge. Caleb wanted to build and donate hands to the community. He had lined up someone to do all the 3D printing, secured donations for the hardware, and organized a hand-a-thon event (where volunteers assemble hands). He just needed to know which hands were needed. I asked him to provide the Osprey hand designed by the legendary Peter Binkley. Osprey is unusual in that it doesn’t contain elastics, opting for a push-pull mechanism, and it incorporates leather pieces for the mounting cuff. It’s a beautiful, strong design.

Once he chose Osprey hand, the project moved quickly. Caleb got an initial 3D print so I could validate his work and qualify him to build e-NABLE hands. He purchased all the parts needed to assemble the hands, though the leather and the exact plastic filament lines were hard to find. Lastly, he organized and led members of his community to assemble the hands, teaching them what he learned. He ran into some roadblocks- poor quality 3D prints and minor assembly problems- but worked through them. He pursued quality of the hands over speed or quantity. Caleb put a cherry on top of this project by designing a beautiful assembly mat for Osprey hand. This will have impact in the global e-NABLE community by simplifying Osprey hand for individual Makers or group workshops.
Count me impressed. Download / share the Osprey Hand Assemble Mat below.

[wonderplugin_pdf src=”https://shashijain.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Osprey-Hand-Assembly-Mat-1.pdf” width=”100%” height=”600px” style=”border:0;”]

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