People around the world can now access an open-source design to 3D print their very own walker, thanks to a team of engineers at Western University.
About 1 in 10 adults live with mobility-related disabilities, according to Statistics Canada, and many rely on devices such as walkers, canes, and crutches to move independently.
“Unfortunately, there are still places in the world, whether we’re talking about isolated communities in the north, or developing countries, where people simply don’t have access to medical technologies or assistive tools like a walker,” said Joshua Pearce, the John M. Thompson chair in Information Technology and Innovation at Western’s Thompson Centre for Engineering Leadership & Innovation. “For many, even in developed cities and countries, there are also major financial restraints.”
The joints of the Western engineers’ walker can all be 3D printed, but materials such as wooden dowels and screws still have to be purchased at the hardware store. Even so, the team behind the project says the cost is significantly less than the $65 to $130 most commercial models are priced at.
This design is open-source, meaning it can be accessed, modified, and redistributed at will.
“We really tried to address the problem using globally available materials to increase accessibility and simplicity of the design,” said Anita So, integrated engineering student. “In Canada, we have a great health-care system that provides financial support for people who need these health-care devices but that’s not the case for a lot of people in other countries and for those living in remote communities. This walker is for everyone.”
In preparing for the project, So conferred with several mobility-impaired people about their own walkers, probing their usage habits, level of satisfaction, and frustrations.
“The really big motivator for me [in developing the walker] was the fact that I might be able to make even the slightest difference in someone’s life, clear across the world, as they would be able to benefit directly from this low-cost open-source design,” said So.
The current design is a static, four-legged device that should be safe for use by people weighing 174 to 206 pounds.
Pearce, So, and engineering professor Jacob Reeves are still working to refine the design of the walker. Their next conquest will be a 3D-printed set of crutches, which will also be open-source.
Western’s Frugal Biomedical Innovations (FBI) program is behind these projects. To learn more about this initiative, visit the FBI webpage.
