Global Service Projects:
Hands Across Borders

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FIRST® is more than just robots...

When American inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® in 1992, he set out to build a culture where scientists and engineers are just as respected and celebrated as professional athletes are.  He also wanted to inspire generations of young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators.

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At the end of the 2022 competition season, our mentors told us about other FIRST®  teams making a difference in their local communities.  We were told about one team that made a motorized wheelchair for a small child whose family couldn't afford one.  We also learned about another team that wanted to help refugees from Central and South America living in makeshift tent communities on the U.S. southern border by engineering small, portable solar panels so that those families would have electricity for lights and to charge their cell phones.  We even heard about three FIRST® teams from nearby Columbus, Ohio, who banded together at the height of the pandemic to produce PPE (personal protective equipment) for local first responders and area healthcare professionals.  It was amazing to hear about what kids like us could do when given a chance.

Then, our mentors asked us, "What were we going to do?" They challenged us to think BIG, put the service of others before ourselves, and use the skills we learned building robots for competition to leave a lasting impact on the world.

After learning about children, both at home and abroad, who were born missing fingers and hands or lost them due to illness, accidents, or regional conflicts, the students from our four original teams decided to collaborate on manufacturing and assembling 3D-printed prosthetic hands for children. 

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 This 3D-printed prosthetic hand was custom-made to fit a small child - Image credit, e-NABLE 

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Working closely with Med Access International (formerly IMAHelps.org), a US-based volunteer organization that runs humanitarian medical missions to impoverished communities throughout the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America, and with the financial backing of the Great Lakes Science Center and our other sponsors, we have joined others from the maker community to design and create low-cost, upper limb prosthetic devices that we give away, free of charge, to deserving families.  We call this global community service project "Hands Across Borders." 

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There are two (2) types of upper limb prosthetic devices that our teams have learned to create.  They are…

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• The e-NABLE Phoenix Hand – for children with amputations below the wrist and

• The e-NABLE Unlimbited Arm – for children with amputations between the wrist and elbow.  (We are currently experimenting with a modified version of this arm for children with an amputation above the elbow).

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​​​​​Once we receive the required measurements, photos, and videos from the recipient, it typically takes 2-3 weeks to manufacture, assemble, test, and ship the 3D-printed prosthetic device to those in need.  Working under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Med Access International, we have been manufacturing and assembling upper limb prosthetic devices for children in each community where they provide humanitarian medical assistance.  

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Later this year, student leaders representing our six teams will travel to the Republic of Ecuador, where they will join the doctors and nurses from Med Access International on their planned humanitarian medical mission to the city of Latacunga.  In addition to supporting the work of the medical teams, our "student ambassadors" will make and deliver 10-15 custom-made, 3D-printed prosthetic hands and arms for local children in need. 

While there, we also plan to meet with Health Ministry officials and educators at all levels to promote local STEM initiatives for children.  Through our long-standing partnership with Med Access International, we plan to also meet with a group of local high school and college students to teach them how to make 3D-printed prosthetic devices for other children so that the work we started can continue in the region long after we've returned home to the United States.  We plan to continue this process every summer, eventually helping countless children throughout the hemisphere and building a bridge between nations.

This project has taught us empathy, respect, and the meaning and importance of "service before self." It has also sparked interest in several possible careers, such as Biomedical Engineering, Nonprofit Program Management, and International Relations.

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If you, or a child you know, needs a 3D-printed upper limb prosthetic device, please get in touch with Mr. Bradshaw, our Senior Mentor for this project,  at bradshawj@glsc.org

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Attention Affiliates: 

If you are a Hands Across Borders (HAB) affiliate site, click HERE to access the HAB resource page.  We created this online resource page for high school robotics teams wishing to partner with us on this global community service project.  The HAB Resource page contains downloadable copies of our training materials, user guides, patient forms, and marketing materials.  The page also has helpful links to instructional videos and more.  You will also find all the files needed to begin making 3D-printed prosthetic hands and arms for children in your community and around the globe!

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Not an Affiliate Site yet?

No problem!  Contact Mr. Bradshaw at bradshawj@glsc.org to learn how your robotics team or youth group can join the growing network of kids helping kids worldwide!

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