Snapshot
Students in the innovation class and physics class will be collaborating with the local pharmacist who is involved in adjusting commercially made ankle, foot, and orthosis (AFO) devices for his patients. They will be interacting with him and printing customized AFO devices for his patients using a XYZ 3D printer. Recently our school has purchased a 3D printer for our science department and students in the innovation class and physics class have the opportunity to work with that printer. They already have calibrated this instrument within a short period of time and have learned to print 3 different sample objects. This shows the eagerness of our students to understand a new device that they have never seen before and work on it to produce a product. Since our students have learned to use the instrument to print sample objects which has already been exported to the printer, they will have to learn to use 3D CAD design tools to design objects. Discussion with the pharmacist has revealed that the use of the 3D printer will enable him to make customized AFO devices without tampering interaction with the patients, take real measurements, and build a cheaper one than the one available commercially. They will also be helping patients in the community to have a customized AFO device that will immobilize that part of the body, permitting it to heal, and reduces pain associated with movement.