Meet Zac Waters, the 13-year-old Utah boy who spent 300 hours 3D-printing a wheelchair for a 21-month-old girl
While many children his age were on summer break, 13-year-old Zac Waters spent about 300 hours working on a very different project. The Lehi, Utah, boy used his 3D printing skills to build a custom mobility chair for a 21-month-old girl.According to ABC 4, Waters became interested in 3D printing after watching YouTube videos about the technology. He soon wanted to use what he was learning for something beyond simply making objects. That search led him to MakeGood, a New Orleans-based nonprofit that provides free 3D-printed mobility devices for children with disabilities.The organisation’s volunteer network allows people with 3D printers to make mobility devices at home. Its open-source Toddler Mobility Trainer design can be built for about $150 in materials.Waters found an opportunity to combine his interest in 3D printing with his wish to help someone in need. He was matched through MakeGood’s volunteer network with a 21-month-old girl and began working on a mobility chair made specifically for her.
A summer well spent
The project took up much of Waters’ summer. He spent roughly 300 hours designing, printing, testing and assembling the chair before it was ready.The finished mobility chair was customised for the toddler. It has pink accents because pink is her favourite colour. Waters also added a removable cupholder and tray table to make the chair more useful for her.The chair was also designed with her needs as she grows. Its footrest and headrest can be adjusted, while the back panel has space for heavier medical equipment. The straps were printed using a soft, flexible material for comfort.For Waters, the project brought together two things he enjoys most. “It combines my two favorite things in life: 3D printing and helping people in need. It just makes sense!” Waters told ABC4.He said one of his favourite parts of 3D printing is putting individual pieces together. The wheelchair gave him a chance to work on that process over and over again as he designed and tested the different parts.
Family’s support
Although Waters did much of the work himself, his family supported him throughout the project. His grandmother, Charlotte Waters, said the family helped keep him on track while allowing him to work through his own ideas.Zac compared the support to bowling ball training rails, saying his family helped him bounce ideas around as he worked towards completing the chair.For Charlotte, the project was about more than what her grandson could make with a 3D printer. She hopes the experience will remain with him as he grows older.“We hope he always remembers that the greatest legacy anyone can leave is to make someone else’s life better,” she said.The family said the project showed that being young does not prevent someone from helping another person.
Wanting to build more
The experience has also shaped what Waters wants to do next. He plans to continue developing his 3D printing skills and hopes to reach the level of expertise of the MakeGood engineering team.He has not decided on a specific career yet, but when asked what he wants to do when he grows up, he saiys he wants to do “something techie.”Waters’ project is part of a wider volunteer effort run by MakeGood. The nonprofit was founded in 2021 by certified healthcare architect Noam Platt.MakeGood has delivered more than 1,000 Toddler Mobility Trainers through its volunteer network. However, the organisation still has more than 550 open requests for the devices.The average wait for a chair is about 70 days. MakeGood’s fundraising page also says that more than 2 million children in the US need a mobility device they do not have.
