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UPDATE on Fund Raising:
We are so excited with the success of our campaign to raise money and get low cost prosthetics to kids in need. We want everyone to know that ANY and ALL FUNDS over our GOAL will go toward the same cause making more hands. We will keep everyone posted on our progress and how many hands were are able to make from the fund raising.
HOW THIS STARTED:
Our mom joined a volunteer group, not too long ago, called E-Nable, of volunteers that make low cost prosthetic hands for kids. She has been interested in the field of prosthetics for a while and thought that she could make a difference with her biomedical engineering experience and my dad's manufacturing engineering experience. She showed us some videos of the first 3D printed hand and how the inventors decided to PAY IT FORWARD, sharing their experience and designs with others online and in need. The group grew from there, sharing designs and producing them with 3D technology for really cheap.
The videos made us feel curious, inspired and eager to learn more about this group and how we could help too. Just seeing how the kids responded to receiving one of these cool looking hands and seeing them use it to bounce a ball was overwhelming.
Our mom explained how the group works and that people of all ages and skills work together to provide these low cost hands. She told us about the Conference, PROSTHETICS MEETS 3D PRINTERS: 3D Printed Prosthetics for Underserved Populations, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She was going in order to learn more about designing, making and fitting low cost prosthetic hands out of the 3D printed parts for children and possibly veterans who need them. We both decided we wanted to go too, to learn and to meet some of the people who would be receiving the hands we built in person.
Last week our family traveled to Johns Hopkins to attend this interesting conference. There were dozens of kids there to make and get hands, lots of doctors, engineers, prosthetists, company people, students, and a few families just looking to help, like ours. There were even people there with other types of upper limb prosthetics from plastic low cost to bionic body controlled that talked about how they functioned and how much they cost. The experience was priceless and inspiring. It made us all want to do more to help.
THE PROBLEM:
It doesn't seem right, but most kids don't have access to prosthetic hands because insurance often doesn’t cover it and most cost so much. We found, for example, that according to the paper, Limb Prosthetic Services and Devices, [http://www.nist.gov/tip/wp/pswp/upload/239_limb_prosthetics_services_devices.pdf], the cost of a prosthetic arm varies by the type of arm and the level of amputation. For example, a cosmetic arm and hand might cost $3,000-$5,000. A functional prosthetic arm with a "split hook" at the end might cost $10,000. A myoelectric prosthetic arm with a realistic-looking, functioning hand might cost $20,000- $30,000 or more. Insurance companies have yearly caps on prosthetic services ranging from $500 - $3000 and a lifetime cap ranging from $10,000 to one prosthetic per lifetime (birth to death), which makes it very difficult for growing children to have access to prosthetics. And we have all heard on the news about veterans not getting services when they need it. But E-Nable makes these low cost hands for ~ $50 per hand with volunteers.
OUR PLAN:
So, what we want to do now is be able to help children in need by creating these hands with our own 3D printer and eventually to make some changes to them to help make them more comfortable and functional as we learn more.
START UP COSTS:
Many 3D printer companies were at the conference to provide information of the best system to meet our needs of performance and cost. The following is a breakdown of items will need to get started and to build our 1st 10 hands:
· 3D printer, Ultimaker 2 ~ $2550
· 5 Spools of Filament (material for printer)
o 1 PLA @ $30/e
o 2 ABS @ $30/e
o 2 ELITE ABS @ $38/e ~ $ 166
· CAD software (starting with freeware) FREE
· Assembly materials for 1st 10 Hands
o Hardware, cables, fasteners @ $25/hand ~ $250
· Taxes, shipping, fees ~ $100
· Permission to use designs FREE
TOTAL START UP COST: $ 3066
Our parents have committed to matching whatever money we can raise toward the start-up costs.
$3066
-$1566
$1500 to raise
FUTURE COSTS:
We know that we will need to earn money to continue beyond the 1st 10 hands. The cost to product each hand once we have our own 3D printer is about:
Materials to assemble $ 25-30
Printer 3D parts $ 6-10
Our plan to fund the project ongoing will consist of a couple ways of getting cash flow.
1. Make small items that can be sold on the 3D printer.
2. When possible have families that can afford the assembly kit price, purchase and send them to us. So we only have 3D printed cost.
3. Donation Button on website for people to sponsor a needed child (and eventually a veteran).
4. Rent out time on 3D printer online through 3D hub occasionally.
DONATIONS ASKING FOR:
So, we are trying to raise $1500 online from people willing to help get low cost prosthetics to kids in need, collect $1566 from our parents, and start making hands and sending them out before the holidays.
We appreciate any support you can give, and no amount is too small. Please help us PAY IT FORWARD. Thank you for helping us to help others.
Thanks in advance for your support,
Justin & Lily
We are so excited with the success of our campaign to raise money and get low cost prosthetics to kids in need. We want everyone to know that ANY and ALL FUNDS over our GOAL will go toward the same cause making more hands. We will keep everyone posted on our progress and how many hands were are able to make from the fund raising.
HOW THIS STARTED:
Our mom joined a volunteer group, not too long ago, called E-Nable, of volunteers that make low cost prosthetic hands for kids. She has been interested in the field of prosthetics for a while and thought that she could make a difference with her biomedical engineering experience and my dad's manufacturing engineering experience. She showed us some videos of the first 3D printed hand and how the inventors decided to PAY IT FORWARD, sharing their experience and designs with others online and in need. The group grew from there, sharing designs and producing them with 3D technology for really cheap.
The videos made us feel curious, inspired and eager to learn more about this group and how we could help too. Just seeing how the kids responded to receiving one of these cool looking hands and seeing them use it to bounce a ball was overwhelming.
Our mom explained how the group works and that people of all ages and skills work together to provide these low cost hands. She told us about the Conference, PROSTHETICS MEETS 3D PRINTERS: 3D Printed Prosthetics for Underserved Populations, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She was going in order to learn more about designing, making and fitting low cost prosthetic hands out of the 3D printed parts for children and possibly veterans who need them. We both decided we wanted to go too, to learn and to meet some of the people who would be receiving the hands we built in person.
Last week our family traveled to Johns Hopkins to attend this interesting conference. There were dozens of kids there to make and get hands, lots of doctors, engineers, prosthetists, company people, students, and a few families just looking to help, like ours. There were even people there with other types of upper limb prosthetics from plastic low cost to bionic body controlled that talked about how they functioned and how much they cost. The experience was priceless and inspiring. It made us all want to do more to help.
THE PROBLEM:
It doesn't seem right, but most kids don't have access to prosthetic hands because insurance often doesn’t cover it and most cost so much. We found, for example, that according to the paper, Limb Prosthetic Services and Devices, [http://www.nist.gov/tip/wp/pswp/upload/239_limb_prosthetics_services_devices.pdf], the cost of a prosthetic arm varies by the type of arm and the level of amputation. For example, a cosmetic arm and hand might cost $3,000-$5,000. A functional prosthetic arm with a "split hook" at the end might cost $10,000. A myoelectric prosthetic arm with a realistic-looking, functioning hand might cost $20,000- $30,000 or more. Insurance companies have yearly caps on prosthetic services ranging from $500 - $3000 and a lifetime cap ranging from $10,000 to one prosthetic per lifetime (birth to death), which makes it very difficult for growing children to have access to prosthetics. And we have all heard on the news about veterans not getting services when they need it. But E-Nable makes these low cost hands for ~ $50 per hand with volunteers.
OUR PLAN:
So, what we want to do now is be able to help children in need by creating these hands with our own 3D printer and eventually to make some changes to them to help make them more comfortable and functional as we learn more.
START UP COSTS:
Many 3D printer companies were at the conference to provide information of the best system to meet our needs of performance and cost. The following is a breakdown of items will need to get started and to build our 1st 10 hands:
· 3D printer, Ultimaker 2 ~ $2550
· 5 Spools of Filament (material for printer)
o 1 PLA @ $30/e
o 2 ABS @ $30/e
o 2 ELITE ABS @ $38/e ~ $ 166
· CAD software (starting with freeware) FREE
· Assembly materials for 1st 10 Hands
o Hardware, cables, fasteners @ $25/hand ~ $250
· Taxes, shipping, fees ~ $100
· Permission to use designs FREE
TOTAL START UP COST: $ 3066
Our parents have committed to matching whatever money we can raise toward the start-up costs.
$3066
-$1566
$1500 to raise
FUTURE COSTS:
We know that we will need to earn money to continue beyond the 1st 10 hands. The cost to product each hand once we have our own 3D printer is about:
Materials to assemble $ 25-30
Printer 3D parts $ 6-10
Our plan to fund the project ongoing will consist of a couple ways of getting cash flow.
1. Make small items that can be sold on the 3D printer.
2. When possible have families that can afford the assembly kit price, purchase and send them to us. So we only have 3D printed cost.
3. Donation Button on website for people to sponsor a needed child (and eventually a veteran).
4. Rent out time on 3D printer online through 3D hub occasionally.
DONATIONS ASKING FOR:
So, we are trying to raise $1500 online from people willing to help get low cost prosthetics to kids in need, collect $1566 from our parents, and start making hands and sending them out before the holidays.
We appreciate any support you can give, and no amount is too small. Please help us PAY IT FORWARD. Thank you for helping us to help others.
Thanks in advance for your support,
Justin & Lily