Mike Larson of Austin, Texas stumbled upon the e-NABLE community in 2019 while searching for 3D printing. Born with congenital hand anomalies on his left hand (ABS), he hadn’t used a device growing up but the power of the e-NABLE movement spoke to him. He made a case with Enable Web Central to try a Phoenix hand. 

When the device arrived, he began to test it in his daily life. When things began to break, he found improvements. The more he customized the hand through modifications and tinkering, the more he used it. He began to find practical synergies within his activities to support his dominant hand. The device was not a finish line, but a new starting point.

Mike set up a Youtube channel he titled Prosthetic Hand Test Lab to share his observations as device reviews. He began making posts on the Hub, where he found shared interest. Several other experienced volunteers contacted him, and they created a design group to review some of his testing criteria, review available devices, and explore features for a new device. The team holds weekly meetings for about a dozen CAD designers, 3D printing experts, device users, and community leaders with members from the United States, Romania, and Sweden. Check our Mike’s Untethered interview with Jeremy Simon to learn more about their process and project goals, as well their educational collaboration with e-NABLE Chapter Moreau Catholic High School.

In addition to design, Mike has been an early leader in the monthly Device Pilot’s meetings, a space for those who pilot open source prosthetic devices. His knowledge of materials and customization has helped guide others who are exploring new devices and adapting them to meet their needs. Join Mike and others the third Monday each month!

―

NEXT: Device Pilots Meeting 

October 18, 2021

12:00 - 1:00 PM (EDT)