Hong Kong Stories

Amateur Prosthetics Makers (37x6)

Exibido em:: Out 23, 2018

The “Maker” culture has taken root in Hong Kong in recent years. These makers, equally enthusiastic about technologies and their application, often have various interests and strong suits. Among them are several who demonstrate particular concern for people with hand disabilities. Utilising their knowledge and skills in leisure time, these makers endeavour to produce 3D-printed prosthetics that meet the needs of these disabled people, hoping to help them cope in everyday life. As every user faces different problems, makers have to think from the users’ perspectives and understand their needs before making prosthetics. Although 3D-printed prosthetics are not exactly health products, they do offer an alternative for the hand disabled and benefit those in need. These makers also connect with non-governmental organisations in West Africa. After a “Hand Assembling” event in Hong Kong that engages the public in producing prosthetics, the products are then transported to West Africa as gifts for the needy. In the meantime, Mike, the originator of this campaign, takes the initiative to collaborate with schools while promoting the idea of 3D-printed prosthetics. Through complementing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum of secondary schools, the campaign enables students to make prosthetics, thereby sowing the seeds of research, with the hope of seeing more inventions that bring convenience to the physically challenged. As such, “social inclusion” will be more than a slogan, but a goal that everyone contributes to.