POWER OF TECHNOLOGY: Princeton Academy eighth-grader Chase Quijano, holding two prosthetic limbs he built, took the lead in organizing a Build-A-Thon that will take place at Princeton Academy on Sunday, December 3 from noon to 3 p.m. to use 3D printers to help create prosthetic limbs.

By Donald Gilpin

Chase Quijano, Princeton Academy eighth-grader and member of Boy Scout Troop 43, has organized a student-led project in partnership with the e-NABLE Community to use 3D printers to help create hands and arms for those in need all over the world. 

Quijano and Princeton Academy, assisted by Rutgers Makerspace, AntiMatter Filament, the University of South Carolina, and Rutgers 4H, will be hosting an e-NABLE Build-A-Thon from noon-3 p.m. Sunday at the McPherson Athletic and Convocation Center (MACC) at Princeton Academy, where schools, organizations, families, and individuals are invited to participate in “Give the World A Helping Hand.”

“I was thrilled that a student made the connection with the e-NABLE organization, pitched the idea to the school, and has taken the lead organizing this Build-A-Thon,” said Princeton Academy Technology Director Raymond T. Shay. “Chase is including other students to print parts, organize components, fundraise, and help him run the event.”

Shay commented further on the project. “In a time when technology is so often blamed for a decline in empathy, it is wonderful to see students using 3D printers to meet a real-world need and benefit other children,” he added. “We can only hope that they continue to think critically about how they can use technology to benefit others and solve real problems in our world.”

The Princeton Academy Build-A-Thon, a community event for families, sports teams, scouts, schools, clubs, and individuals, hopes to assemble 100 prosthetic hands and arms. Purchasing prosthetic limbs for a growing child can be a huge financial burden for some families, and 3D printing is helping to ease this financial burden.

So far, more than 40 hands have been printed or promised, and more are needed. Quijano is urging anyone with access to a 3D printer to print several hand kits for Sunday’s event. The hands and arms will be given to e-NABLE to donate to children and adults around the world.

E-NABLE, a global volunteer organization of people who 3D print and donate prosthetic hands, has developed a collection of different 3D printable assistive devices that are free for download and fabrication. Quijano learned about e-NABLE after completing his own 3D printed hand with muscle-controlled servo motors for a summer 4-H county fair project.

“I have always been passionate about building and creating,” Quijano said. “Over the summer I built a robotic hand that was 3D printed and controlled using a muscle sensor. E-NABLE does some really great things. I wanted to help.”