Feel-Good Friday: Young Teen Spends Summer Making 3D-Printed Magic for Toddler's Wheelchair

I couldn't end the month of August without featuring this story about an inspirational young man named Zac Waters, who used his passion and his powers of observation to give the gift of mobility to a toddler with disabilities. If young Waters continues on this ingenious path, he has an enterprising life, and possibly career, ahead of him. 

Young world changers is the subject of this week's Feel-Good Friday.

While some 13-year-old boys spend their summer playing sports or swimming at pools, Zac Waters spent his time designing a 3D printed custom wheelchair for a 21-month old girl.

After watching a YouTube channel about 3D printing, Waters felt inspired to make a difference using his passion of 3D printing. 

Thirteen can be a tough age. For boys, awkwardness often abounds because not only do they go through a growth spurt and voice changes, but members of the opposite sex who, depending on the kid, either have been great pals or have horrible cooties, suddenly become more appealing on other levels. Then there are Gen Z and Alpha boys who have already been diagnosed ADHD, and been overly medicated before puberty even kicks in. So, for Waters to have that clarity, focus and ambition is rare, but good to see. 

Waters discovered MakeGoodNOLA, a non-profit which creates 3D-printed assistive devices for children with disabilities, and this captured his imagination. Waters already had delved into 3D printing and had a printer at home; so, this was a way for him to produce a large-scale project, while helping a young girl with disabilities in need. Waters also put personal thought into his design for her chair, producing it in pink, the little girl’s favorite color. The wheelchair also included a tray table, a removable cupholder, and the back of the chair could accommodate heavier medical equipment.

The average pediatric wheelchair costs thousands of dollars, and unlike wheelchairs for adults, when the kid grows, a new wheelchair is required, costing thousands more. So, MakeGoodNOLA's design lab created the world’s first fully 3D-printed wheelchair, and instead of locking in a patent to create a profit, MakeGoodNOLA gives away the design to anyone with a 3D printer: FOR FREE. The non-profit also provides STEM education so that people with disabilities (and others) can learn to design and produce their own equipment, devices, and prosthetics. 

With that in mind, Waters took his design one step further: his wheelchair's footrest and headrest adjust, and have the ability to expand as the young girl grows.

Hella cool. 

Waters dedicated his summer to designing, 3D printing, testing, and assembling a custom wheelchair for a young girl. His favorite part of 3D printing is putting the pieces together, and this chair was no exception. The project took roughly 300 hours.

What a clear-eyed, articulate, and engaged young man. It's refreshing to see and hopefully will be replicated in more of our nation's youth.

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Editor's Note: At RedState, it's not all about politics and policy. We like to bring attention to what's good in the world, with columns like "Feel-Good Friday," "Start Your Weekend Right," and "Hoge's Heroes."

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