The experience has certainly been one of the highlights of PrintLab since our inception and we are excited to develop make:able for many years to come!
The votes are in! Today we're delighted to share with you the winners of the 2021 make:able challenge, hosted by PrintLab, Autodesk and partners. If you're joining us for the first time, make:able is a yearly student challenge and this year's brief was to 'design and make a product or prototype that improves the day-to-day life of someone who struggles with mobility in their hands'. Before we get to the results, we'd like to say a huge thank you to all the educators, students, judges, partners and supporters involved. The experience has certainly been one of the highlights of PrintLab since our inception and we are excited to develop make:able for many years to come!
The judging process involved using an online collaboration tool called Mural, which can be described as a giant digital whiteboard, to display each of the finalist portfolios in their respective categories. Judges carefully looked through portfolios and selected their top solution from each category, before votes were counted.
We were so incredibly proud of not only the winners but every submitted portfolio. Therefore we have made the decision to share the full judging Mural publicly - allowing you to view all finalist portfolios, together with the judges comments. You can access the Mural here.
The winners of each category are also highlighted below and in the coming weeks, we'll be making some announcements on next year's make:able - stay tuned!
The winners of 'Best Inspirational Story' for the 14-18 age group was WheeStroll from Bullis School (USA), who will receive an EinScan-SE 3D scanner. WheeStroll created a wheelchair stroller adapter, which allowed their client, Jeremy King, to push a stroller whilst in his wheelchair. The team worked closely with both Jeremy and his wife Chelsie to develop a solution that truly supported the couple in taking their newly born child for walks.
The winners of 'Best Inspirational Story' for the under 14 age group was A Cut Above from Westwood Elementary (USA), who will receive an EinScan-SE 3D scanner. A Cut Above designed a solution for a 4 year old client who has a hand disability, which affects the strength in his thumb. The clever solution bypasses the requirement to use your thumb and the attachment works by using the palm of your hand to activate a cut.
The winners of 'Best Use of Autodesk Software' for the 14-18 age group was IB45 from Branksome Hall Asia (Republic of Korea), who will have their solution 3D printed on an industrial-grade 3D printer. IB45 made a 3D-printed hand sanitizer assistant for Youngsoon Lee, who is 77 years old female with arthritis. We particularly enjoyed seeing the creative use of splines to develop this simple yet elegant solution.
The winners of 'Best Use of Autodesk Software' for the under 14 age group was ORT Odessa from Odessa ORT School (Ukraine), who will have their solution 3D printed on an industrial-grade 3D printer. ORT Odessa designed a fork-spoon combo cuff for Eva's Grandmother who struggles with mobility in her hands. The prototype device eliminates the need to create a closed grip around a small object.
The winners of 'Best Showcase of Customisation' for the 14-18 age group was Team Hanson from Hanson School (UK), who will receive a Pulse 3D Printer from MatterHackers. Team Hanson designed a toothbrush grip for their client Barbara who suffers from hypermobility syndrome. The device was cleverly designed by moulding and 3D scanning a polymorph material, before making edits in Fusion 360 to create a fully customised 3D printed grip.
The winners of 'Best Showcase of Customisation' for the under 14 age group was Inspirational Kids from Stratford Academy (USA), who will receive a Pulse 3D Printer from MatterHackers. Inspirational Kids created a shovel device to help Gary pick up objects from the floor. In an informative video, Gary mentioned he enjoyed using an open-source pen holder (right section of model). The students took the initiative to use this proven solution and add on a scooping device.
The winners of 'Best Open Source Design' for the 14-18 age group was Los Makers from Colegio Alauda (Spain), who will receive an MH Build 'The Works' Filament Bundle from MatterHackers. Los Makers developed a writing device for their friend Juan. After inserting an ink cartridge into the device, users are able to write by applying pressure with their finger.
The winners of 'Best Open Source Design' for the under 14 age group was The Fork Helper from Plymouth South Middle School (USA), who will receive an MH Build 'The Works' Filament Bundle from MatterHackers. James designed a cuff utensil holder to help people with arthritis to eat. Although some improvements are required, we loved the universal design and can see it being a useful tool for many people.
The winners of 'Best use of 3D Printing' for the 14-18 age group was Team Copley from Copley High School (USA), who will receive a CraftBot Plus Pro 3D printer. Students at Copley High School designed 'The Ready Writer' - a device to help their client Michelle to write without experiencing muscle fatigue. We particularly liked the way students combined 3D printing materials (PLA and TPU), which enabled the device to hold different sized pens.
The winners of 'Best use of 3D Printing' for the under 14 age group was A Cut Above from Westwood Elementary (USA), who will receive an Ultimaker 2 Go 3D printer. The device (which also won 'Best Inspirational Story') is an adaption of a pair of scissors that allows you to use your palm to activate a cut rather than your thumb.
The winners of 'Best Showcase of Iterative Design' for the 14-18 age group was WheeStroll from Bullis School (USA), who will receive a Filamentive Education Filament Bundle. WheeStroll (who also won 'Best Inspirational Story') created a wheelchair stroller adapter, which allowed their client, Jeremy King, to push a stroller whilst in his wheelchair.
The winners of 'Best Showcase of Iterative Design' for the under 14 age group was The B Team from Stratford Academy (USA), who will receive a Filamentive Education Filament Bundle. The B Team designed a toothbrush holder and grip combo for Brady's Grandmother. It was nice to see the various iterations the students went through, which included a ball grip and a TPU topper to hold the toothbrush firmly in place.
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