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FIRST Students Offer Helping Hands – Literally – to Those in Need
Most eighth grade students spend their lunch break eating a sandwich or snacking on a burrito. However, FIRST Tech Challenge Team 6914 “Charging Chaos” and FIRST Tech Challenge Team 8823 “Mariner Mayhem” from St. Francis, Wis., decided to do something a bit more altruistic with their time off: build prosthetic hands for several youngsters around the country.
As part of a FIRST robotics program at Deer Creek Intermediate School, a group of middle-school students — along with their science teacher and FIRST Mentor, Peter Graven — have been using 3D printing technology to create prosthetic hands at a cost significantly less than ones currently on the market. The going rate for a prosthetic hand can be as much as $50,000. However, after two months of working together for 15 minutes a day during their lunch break designing, printing, and assembling a prototype, team members were able to create a similar prosthetic hand using just $20 worth of materials.
Reaching Out Across the Country
Today, 8 year-old Ariah is able to perform everyday activities such as riding a bike, throwing a ball, or just giving her dad a “high five,” thanks to the “helping hand” from Teams 6914 and 8823. Although the 3D hand is certainly special enough on its own, the members of Charging Chaos and Mariner Mayhem gave it extra flare by customizing the design with cosmetic flourishes from Ariah’s favorite movie, “Frozen” — adding blue snowflakes and the name “Queen Ariah” on the wrist. The teams worked with E-Nable, an organization that connects volunteers who have 3D printers with people who need prosthetic hands, and a designer from the UK to perfect the “Frozen” details.
Since their success with Ariah’s hand, the teams have been working on several other projects that involve hand prostheses: a Spiderman-themed one for a boy in Mission, Texas; another with a Milwaukee Bucks theme for a girl from Neenah, Wis.; one for a boy from the state of Washington with a Seattle Seahawks theme; and still 
another for a young girl in St. Francis, Wis., that incorporates a dance theme. Coach Graven says the teams are currently printing the various components on their MakerBot Replicator 2.0, which they were able to get through a crowd sourcing campaign on DonorsChoose.org.
another for a young girl in St. Francis, Wis., that incorporates a dance theme. Coach Graven says the teams are currently printing the various components on their MakerBot Replicator 2.0, which they were able to get through a crowd sourcing campaign on DonorsChoose.org.Other Projects in the Works
The two teams are also working on several other projects, including a partnership with the St. Francis Historical Society to develop a system to archive items from the town’s history using 3D scanning techniques. In addition, the teams are creating an Autonomous Water Sampling Kayak, where they use arduino, GPS, cellular networks, and sensor suite to collect
real-time data as well as samples for further evaluation. A third project, called an Augmented Reality Sandbox, combines a real sandbox, virtual topography, a Microsoft Kinect 3D camera, data projector, and powerful simulation/visualization software that allows users to create topographic models by shaping sand.
real-time data as well as samples for further evaluation. A third project, called an Augmented Reality Sandbox, combines a real sandbox, virtual topography, a Microsoft Kinect 3D camera, data projector, and powerful simulation/visualization software that allows users to create topographic models by shaping sand.
Graven, who has been involved with FIRST since 2007, says he’s amazed at what the students have accomplished, and adds that FIRST benefits go well beyond the classroom. “FIRST provides our students with more than just the skills to build robots. Our students learn about teamwork, prototype and design, maintaining a budget, programming, and research, as well as working and communicating with organizations, universities, and businesses outside the four walls of our school district.” Graven adds that the FIRST activities also help his students build confidence in their thinking and open their minds to creative solutions.
Suffice it to say one special hand and a lot of hearts have helped to make these projects a resounding success.
CONGRATULATIONS POMS
Our DC POM Squad Placed First at the State Competition last weekend in Sheboygan. Congrats Girls! Way to represent DC!!
