Mark Ruffalo, the actor renowned for his portrayal of The Hulk in Marvel films, catapulted into the national spotlight in 2019 when he tweeted about their extraordinary creation: complete with motion, lights, and sound, enabling a young boy with cerebral palsy to experience the joy of trick or treating like never before.
However, that鈥檚 just one of several people that the Mishawaka, Indiana-based FIRST team has helped since it began developing assistive technology (AT) in 2015. The first project was to design and 3D print a fully functional prosthetic arm for a young girl who was born without a right forearm. The following year, the team made a rolling desk for a boy who needed help with walking and carrying his speech assistance device.
In 2017, they partnered with , a non-profit that introduces makers to people in need of AT. Together, they launched , a program to make AT for people in the community who didn鈥檛 have the resources to acquire it for themselves. Soon they were being invited every year to present their projects at the Conference.
Benefiting real people
Like all FIRST Robotics teams, Penn Robotics still designs and builds robots for FIRST competitions, but developing AT is an equal passion for the students.
鈥淪eeing the direct impacts that my work and the work of my teammates has on the lives of individuals is an experience that not many have,鈥� says Isaac Gould, the senior managing the Mission to Engineering projects for the 2022-23 school year. 鈥淚t has positively changed my outlook on using my abilities for good and helping other people.鈥�
The team has an especially impressive technology lab complete with manual lathes, mills, grinders, and sanders, as well as professional welders, a CNC lathe/mill, a casting furnace, 3D printers, a CNC plasma cutter, and a toolroom mill.
Donations and sponsorships allow the team to buy new and used equipment. To help bring more manufacturing technology into the hands of young people, has donated more than $175,000 to FIRST teams (including Penn Robotics) and STEM programs. The money is raised by its 5K run/walk fundraising events held at and AMT鈥檚 annual .
The development process
The team, led by coaches Kyle Marsh and , design and develop new AT using the same general process as any professional engineering team. For example, to begin a new project for an 11-year-old wheelchair-bound boy named Braden, the team first met with the boy鈥檚 family, occupational therapist, and pediatric therapist to learn about Brandon鈥檚 biggest challenges: opening doors and doing homework independently.
After research about existing technologies, the team used CAD/CAM to design concepts: an adjustable, lightweight tray that folds into the wheelchair鈥檚 armrest and a door opening device that uses a suction cup mounted to a cord that Braden can manipulate with a crank.
Based on each team member鈥檚 skills, Gould assigned each person to build prototype parts made from machined metal and 3D-printed resins. They had Braden test the prototypes and then made final adjustments. The enhance the robustness of the final products, carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforcement was incorporated into the resin parts.
Future manufacturing pros
Shelhart knows the Penn Robotics students leave high school with a broad set of skills to give them an advantage toward a manufacturing career someday. Gould, for example, has just started his first year at Purdue University studying biochemistry.
鈥淚saac can take the project management skills he learned from Mission to Engineering and eventually become a production manager at a pharmaceutical factory, or something like that,鈥� Shelhart says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 got a great resume already. If I had a business, I鈥檇 hire him right now.鈥�
Caden Keller, the mechanical lead for Mission to Engineering for two years, has taken his technical talents to a new level since graduating from high school this past spring. Keller, who designed Braden鈥檚 door opening device, has just started his first year studying mechanical engineering at the University of Northern Illinois.
鈥淚 first鈥痡oined the FIRST Robotics program鈥痜or the robots and trips across the country, and to meet鈥痭ew鈥痯eople and learn鈥痭ew things. But in the Mission鈥痶o Engineer program, I found that my abilities could be used for a much greater purpose. It鈥檚 been a defining moment in my education and my career path to become an engineer, but it鈥檚 also had a positive impact on my personal life.鈥�
While several children who received AT have been the beneficiaries of the Mission to Engineering program, the Penn Robotics team members themselves have gained skills that will last them a lifetime.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of problem solving and making mistakes that go on here, and they learn so much from the concept to final product,鈥� Shelhart notes. 鈥淭hey're learning to think faster, and in the industry, you want people who can think on their feet and look at things from a different perspective. These students chose to do these extra projects beyond the assigned school work, and that has made them more well-rounded people.鈥�
Find Inspiration at Student Summit at IMTS 2024鈥�&苍产蝉辫; Many FIRST teams visit the 鈥� one of the world鈥檚 largest displays featuring hands-on opportunities for young people to explore careers in advanced manufacturing by working with 3D printers, high-tech metal cutting machines, programming and design software, robotics, automation, and more. Check it out at .鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
