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e-NABLE Newsletter
Fall 2020
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e-NABLE is a global network of volunteers
exploring assistive technology, open source collaboration, and adaptability.
Every quarter, we share the news from our expanding community across the world.
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 HEROES
Featured community members, beneficiaries, partners, and chapters |
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This month, Mat Bowtell released his long awaited Kinetic Hand, a new open source
design supported by an illustrated 99 page assembly manual. Initially modeled from a
3D scan of his own hand, the design was made using a virtual clay modeling software called Geomagic Freeform Plus, and engineered in Solidworks.
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The 3 year project has collected intuitive improvements and iterations from recipient feedback around the world. The current model includes more than a dozen novel features, like the flexible and resilient split hinges for the digits. His team is excited to release his work and learn
from the needs of the global community. |
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As part of his Engineering degree, Mat had the opportunity to study mechatronics at Chiba University in Japan, where he was first introduced to emerging bionic arm technology. In 2014, Mat joined the e-NABLE community on Google+ and became an active and innovative member in the early days. While working at Toyota’s Altona plant outside of Melbourne, Australia, Mat was building, testing, and delivering devices across the world.
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When the plant closed down in 2017, Mat used his redundancy severance pay to
volunteer full time making hands. After receiving a
Westpac Social Change
Fellowship grant, he undertook a world tour to meet with experts in prosthetics, bionics and 3D printing. He met e-NABLE’s
Ivan and Jen Owen, and was even able to host Jen when she came to visit Australia
later that year. Today, Mat is the founder and director of a charity called Free 3D Hands. With 109 solar panels and two Tesla Powerwall batteries powering a 30kW system, the team can run 30 3D printers day and night from the power of the sun. |
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 STORIES
A collection of recent stories covering new growth and progress around the world |
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e-NABLE Events
with e-NABLE Leaders
This season is full of remote conferences connecting the various branches of the e-NABLE community.
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ISTE
In September, our International Education Community Leader Lyndsey Wells presented her e-NABLE curriculum at ISTE Creative Constructor Lab. Check out her wonderful Helping Hands project with her video and presentation.
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ENABLECON
Our annual conference began October 18th and continued on the weekends through October 25th with 4 days dedicated to emerging devices, disaster response, education and research, and community building. We’ve brought together the co-founders of the community, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and maker groups around the world to explore the current landscape of all things e-NABLE. Stay tuned for the session recordings on the Hub (will be posted soon!)
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COINTER 2020
December 4-5, e-NABLE Brazil has helped organize Cointer 2020, the 4th International Congress of Management & Technologies with more than 85 presenters! 6 sessions will cover e-NABLE topics from Jon Schull, Everton Lins, Maria Esquela, Saiph Savage, Ben Rubin, and Nate Munro. It will be translated into a variety of languages, please join!
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Project Funding
With E-nablio
For those who aren’t familiar, the e-NABLE community uses the Loomio platform to vote and fund research and development projects which support the whole community. Everyone can vote! Here are four recent projects have been approved:
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Media Coordination Extension
Activities aimed at sustaining community engagement after pandemic disruptions
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NIOP Phase III
Filming for an upcoming NIOP video guide series, Q-C adapters, bionic research, and organizing an e-NABLE Grant Writing team. Nate Munro knows how to stay busy, and has also prepared presentations for ENABLECON and Cointer 2020 (with a suprize in the credits!).
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Updated Voting Process
Proposals will now begin with a discussion thread running for at least one week, followed by voting which extends for at least one week.
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Wishbone Project
A 2-part project in collaboration with Teri Sanor and Mažvydas Sverdiolas to engage chapters and support a more inclusive community perspective. This includes a crowdfunded microgrant program for e-NABLE Chapters, as well as an automated feedback system collecting basic chapter statistics.
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Have a project that would help the community and need funding? Make a proposal!
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Enabling Development
With e-NABLE Bot
Many of our Hub members may have noticed that not all our members are human these days! To help share community metrics, Mažvydas Sverdiolas has created the e-NABLE bot to share post activity weekly and new members twice a week.
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This Week in the Hub!
Built on the e-NABLE metrics tool that Mažvydas set up for us, the new automated reporting summarizes weekly membership, popular content, and engagement. Since September, we’ve had 85 new posts across 29 topics. Check it out to see where the discussions are happening. Posted each Sunday.
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Introductions
Since September, we have had
136 new volunteers from 33 countries! Please comment on the posts when you see them and welcome new members when they arrive. Posted Mondays & Thursdays
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We have also begun a New Member Meetup where all new members and old friends can join to meet each other, ask questions, chat with community leaders, and share stories and projects. This is your chance to meet with others from around the world and learn about how to collaborate and get involved! And yes the e-NABLE Bot is invited.
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 COMMUNITY
e-NABLE is a rich ecology; here are some guide posts. Happy exploring! |
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The e-NABLE movement currently consists of over 178 active chapters across 50 countries. These numbers are changing all the time, and monitored by our volunteer Bob Rieger with e-NABLE Web Central. Thanks Bob!
The Community Hub
Participation continues to grow in the Hub this year with hundreds of new members from all over the world. With almost 1400 members and over 14,000 posts, the Hub is where you'll find the latest activites. Please join us!
Community Webinar/Podcasts
3D Universe has launched 'Untethered', a series covering different aspects of 3D printing and digital fabrication across various industries. This month they released Episode 03: The e-NABLE Volunteer Community featuring Jen Owen, Jon Schull, Jeremy Simon, and Peregrine Hawthorn.
Newcomers & Learners:
Visit EnablingTheFuture and acquire skills and badges
For chapters and volunteers who have been involved with making PPE, we have several new badges to celebrate your efforts!
Volunteers & Recipients:
Sign up with e-NABLE Web Central to find each other.
Social Media Wanderers:
Check out our social media map and Facebook groups
Community Leaders & Organizers:
View or attend weekly Strategic Planning Committee and use Enablio to help allocate funds.
Earthlings:
Find or create a local chapter. |
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 HANDS ON DECK
Volunteer quarterly call to action for community campaigns |
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e-NABLE is a volunteer network of digital humanitarians.
Learn how to become involved at enablingthefuture.org/get-involved/
UNMET NEEDS
e-NABLE has an Unmet Needs document where we advertise for roles and skills to help with upcoming projects. We post projects one by one in the Hub using the 'Volunteer Jobs & Unmet Needs' topic, so stay tuned!
VOLUNTEER CONTRIBUTIONS
- Patrick Carreiro was relieved of his greeting duties by our new e-NABLE Bot, but has since been enlisted in the NIOP efforts.
- A huge THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped support ENABLECON 2020!
DEVICE REPOSITORY
If you have extra e-NABLE devices that you would like to share, you can now donate hands and arms to our new repository!
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Sequoyah High School
4485 Hickory Rd
Canton, GA 30115
Attn: Dr. Brent Hollers
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Thanks to Brent and his Robotics Team students for their willingness to act as a new repository. They are a new chapter, and will be performing inventory, QC, remediation and distribution efforts for these devices.
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 CONTRIBUTE
Contribute and make a difference! |
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As a volunteer organization, our community projects are funded through contributions. If you have the ability, supporting development seeds opportunities for the future.
Individual Contributors
Corporate Contributions
- Trong Le Donation
- Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation (annual)
Donated Filament
3D Universe has distributed almost $8,500 worth of free kits and filaments. The donation program is still active, and the team is ready to send our more as long as supplies and funds last. To request free kits or filaments, volunteers can just send an email to info@3duniverse.org
Partnering with e-NABLE
There are many ways for and individuals, chapters, educational organizations, corporations, and foundations to partner with e-NABLE. Together, we can create a partnership that aligns with your core values. Explore how you can become involved below and contact us to learn more.
Join in!
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 ABOUT
Meet the Newsletter and Editor |
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Greetings humans of the e-NABLE universe!
I'm Ben Rubin, your new newsletter editor. Aside from curating online content every quarter, I report from the frontlines of e-NABLE’s international chapters and work behind the scenes on the Media Coordination Project. My goal is to help share some of the incredible work from our volunteers and organize our expanding constellation of digital media.
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