Lynbrook High School Students Present 3D Printed Adaptive Devices Designed for St. Mary’s Kids

Students at Lynbrook High School, inspired by recent visits to pediatric patients at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, have designed a series of prototype adaptive devices using 3D printing technology.  The students visited St. Mary’s today to present the devices to patients and staff.   St. Mary’s Hospital for Children is a leader in post-acute care for children with special needs, many of whom need specialized devices to help with mobility, communication, or other needs.

 Lynbrook High School’s Advance Design and Innovation class has been working with St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children’s Occupational Therapy (OT) department for close to a year to build adaptive equipment using the school’s 3D printer.  The students, under the supervision of their teachers Paul Rotstein, Michael Kunz and Vincent Lentini are in the process of building such devices as: customized wheelchair trays, adaptive spoons, cause/effect toys, iPad stylus pens, and more.

The Advanced Design and Innovation program is the capstone Technology Education course at Lynbrook High School.  Students use the design and drafting skills that they have learned in previous courses and apply them to true-to-life design challenges.  The students draft rough concept sketches into 3D CADD models which they then bring to life through the use of 3D printers.   Students brought renderings of their concepts, 3D printed prototypes and demonstrated how the devices should be used. They also presented their designs to the OT team, gathering feedback on how to improve and fine-tune the designs.