Hi, I'm Max.
And this is the Cyborg Beast.
Hi, I'm Wes.
I helped my teacher, Mr. Lehrer,
build the Cyborg Beast.
Mr. Lehrer is Max's dad.
When Max was born, his right
hand wasn't fully developed,
so it was hard for him
to use it.
Now, with the Cyborg Beast,
he can grip,
which is really useful
when he wants to use both hands
at the same time.
We built the Cyborg Beast
using a 3D printer.
This is a 3D printer,
and this is the computer
that's sending a computer file
to the 3D printer,
telling it what to print.
And these are spools
which are wrapped around
with this plastic that's being
melted on this little extruder.
What's cool about a 3D printer
is you can build
a three dimensional object
with a computer file
of the object.
The machine prints layer
by layer by layer
using liquid plastic.
So here's how
the Cyborg Beast works.
When Max bends his wrist down,
the fingers come down too,
because they're being pulled.
And when Max returns his wrist
to a straight position,
the fingers open up
and go back to normal.
But here's the problem:
the Cyborg Beast
takes a lot of forearm strength
to make it move.
It's tough to push down.
So it's hard for a kid Max's age
to use it
for a long period of time.
So we're gonna build
a new 3D printed hand for Max
so that it's easier to use.
It's called the Raptor.
A raptor is a kind of bird.
The hand designer,
Peter Binkley, created it
and named it after his son
Peregrine, also a type of bird.
This is the Raptor.
Fist bump!
Boom!
I've already done a lot of work
on the Raptor.
First, I went
to the e-NABLE website
and downloaded
all the individual files.
e-NABLE is a group of people
from all over the world
who use engineering
and 3-D printing
to make fingers and hands.
All together,
the pieces and hardware
came out to be about $35.
That's cheap!
Then after I printed them all,
I had to assemble the Raptor,
and that took about three hours.
With the Raptor,
the cords don't have to bend
over the top of the hand
like they do with the Cyborg.
This decreases friction
and makes it a lot easier
to bend the fingers down.
The less friction,
the easier the motion.
Now I'm down to the final
exciting part,
where we get to put together
the finishing touches.
I'm cutting off
this bungee cord,
then I pull,
and then once I'm at the right
amount of tightness...
This is gonna keep the thumb up
when he's not bending his wrist.
The next step is
to put on these finger grips.
These add friction to whatever
the fingers touch,
which is helpful when you're
trying to use the fingers
to grab something.
I can't wait to try this
with Max.
Is that for me?
Mm-hmm!
What do you think?
Good.
Is it easier to move?
Is it comfortable?
Mm-hmm.
It's a little uncomfortable.
Where is it uncomfortable?
Right here.
Okay, I may be able to fix that.
Max just told me that the Raptor
is hurting his hand right here
on the top of the gauntlet,
so I'm gonna put some foam
under this velcro
and see if that will help
at all.
Did you put foam in?
Mm-hmm, right there.
So now it shouldn't hurt your
hand like it did last time.
It works.
Nice.
I love engineering because
I can use it to help people.
I'm hoping to start a new club
at my school
so I can make 3D printed hands
with my friends.
Thank you.
No problem.
High five?
