How we got started.. What we're doing.... How it's going to end
Hi. I'm Daniel,
I started this independent study hour with little idea about what kind of projects I would be working on. I knew I wanted to do engineering and use my CAD skills, and I wanted to do something with biology or medicine, but I really didn't know what. At first I considered developing a biological energy solution that uses genetically engineered trees laced with piezoelectric protein fibers to generate electricity when the wind moved their branches. This idea held me for a while. I contacted a scientist in Korea who was working on something similar, but he stopped returning my emails and I had nowhere further to take the idea.
That is when I thought about medical equipment in the third world. People living in poverty often need these life saving devices more than we do, but medical equipment like wheelchairs walkers and prosthetics can be thousands of dollars. Those that cannot walk end up begging on the street simply because they can't afford a wheelchair. One solution to this issue is to ship medical equipment overseas, but as great and charitable that is, it is still expensive, and difficult to reach those who need the devices. That is when I thought of this project. I would work on designing critical medical equipment using materials and manufacturing processes only available to poor. This way, missionaries and aid organizations can help teach those in poverty to build their own wheelchairs and their own walkers and prosthetics. These designs can then be passed through the community and have a wider and longer lasting impact that if professionally made medical supplies were simply bought or given.
My world became full of bike parts, PVC pipe, duct tape, and scrap metal. I have tried to constrain myself to using materials that can be easily found, and manufacturing processes that do not require electricity. Though it is very difficult at times to thing like this, it has trained me to think outside the box and look at junk a different way. That is one of the first things I did in fact. I looked at pictured of slums and poor villages and analyze what materials are available. Old plastic bottles, rags, corrugated tin, and old bikes are everywhere, and Vanessa and I have been using these materials to hopefully help those in need.
Daniel and I started working together at the beginning of the second semester. At first, it seemed a unique pairing of talents since my passion is in the medical field (engineering is not my cup of tea) but our brains turned out to be the perfect combination for this project. With the patient in mind, I've been able to give input on Daniel's designs from a medical prospective, and together we've proved that two heads really are better than one when it comes to problem solving. Since I leave all the CAD to Daniel, I have plenty of time to do my own medical research on the problems faced in third world countries, which I love. While he draws designs I've learned all about the amputee process, right down to how to properly wrap an amputee stump-- and am currently learning all I can about wheelchairs. While I never imagined I'd be good at it, I also love helping to put together our creations. The manual part of putting together our wheelchair is challenging, sometimes frustrating work, but definitely worth it.
I started this independent study hour with little idea about what kind of projects I would be working on. I knew I wanted to do engineering and use my CAD skills, and I wanted to do something with biology or medicine, but I really didn't know what. At first I considered developing a biological energy solution that uses genetically engineered trees laced with piezoelectric protein fibers to generate electricity when the wind moved their branches. This idea held me for a while. I contacted a scientist in Korea who was working on something similar, but he stopped returning my emails and I had nowhere further to take the idea.
That is when I thought about medical equipment in the third world. People living in poverty often need these life saving devices more than we do, but medical equipment like wheelchairs walkers and prosthetics can be thousands of dollars. Those that cannot walk end up begging on the street simply because they can't afford a wheelchair. One solution to this issue is to ship medical equipment overseas, but as great and charitable that is, it is still expensive, and difficult to reach those who need the devices. That is when I thought of this project. I would work on designing critical medical equipment using materials and manufacturing processes only available to poor. This way, missionaries and aid organizations can help teach those in poverty to build their own wheelchairs and their own walkers and prosthetics. These designs can then be passed through the community and have a wider and longer lasting impact that if professionally made medical supplies were simply bought or given.
My world became full of bike parts, PVC pipe, duct tape, and scrap metal. I have tried to constrain myself to using materials that can be easily found, and manufacturing processes that do not require electricity. Though it is very difficult at times to thing like this, it has trained me to think outside the box and look at junk a different way. That is one of the first things I did in fact. I looked at pictured of slums and poor villages and analyze what materials are available. Old plastic bottles, rags, corrugated tin, and old bikes are everywhere, and Vanessa and I have been using these materials to hopefully help those in need.
Daniel and I started working together at the beginning of the second semester. At first, it seemed a unique pairing of talents since my passion is in the medical field (engineering is not my cup of tea) but our brains turned out to be the perfect combination for this project. With the patient in mind, I've been able to give input on Daniel's designs from a medical prospective, and together we've proved that two heads really are better than one when it comes to problem solving. Since I leave all the CAD to Daniel, I have plenty of time to do my own medical research on the problems faced in third world countries, which I love. While he draws designs I've learned all about the amputee process, right down to how to properly wrap an amputee stump-- and am currently learning all I can about wheelchairs. While I never imagined I'd be good at it, I also love helping to put together our creations. The manual part of putting together our wheelchair is challenging, sometimes frustrating work, but definitely worth it.