This page links to devices that are designed for individuals with disabilities and freely available to build and customize.
- The Volksswitch – a 3D printable pressure switch that is designed for assembly, testing, customization, manufacturing (all the DfX’s). It can be assembled quickly from off-the-shelf components (no soldering required) at a cost of less than $10.
- Customizable, 3D Printable Keyguard for Grid-based, Free-form, and Hybrid AAC Apps on Tablets – keyguards help individuals with limited muscle control the ability to point reliably at regions of an app running on a tablet. In this case, the apps are associated with Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Many AAC apps organize their content in grids – sets of rows and columns. Others are much more creative and unpredictable in their layouts. Hybrid apps are largely grid-based but their keyguards can be enhanced by selectively exposing specific regions of the app. The keyguard designer allows the user to provide specific characteristics for the keyguard that they need and then generate and print that exact keyguard.
- Keyguards for Chromebooks – Chromebooks are used in many school districts across the United States. A keyguard can make a Chromebook more accessible for individuals with motor disabilities. Each Chromebook will have a slightly different keyboard layout.
- Keyguards for iPad Keyboards – The keyguard designer for iPad keyboards is based on the keyguard designer for Chromebooks. Unfortunately, while Chromebook keyboards are standardized, there’s a lot of variation in the layouts of keyboards that can be used with iPads. We’ve tried to accommodate most of this variation by adding lots of optional features to the designer.
- Bliss Tactile Symbols – Tactile symbols are used to help individuals who are blind or visually impaired, and may also have complex communication disabilities, to express themselves. These tactile symbols are based on the language of Blissymbolics rather than arbitrary textures or physical objects.
- Voice It – is a simple DIY device. It reads the text stored on an RFID tag, then looks for an audio file on its SD card with the same name, and plays the file through the internal speaker. You control which objects have an RFID tag and you control what’s contained in the audio file
- 6th Finger / 6th Toe Stylus – a 3D printable capacitive stylus that can be used by individuals with limited hand control to interact with a smartphone or tablet.
- Customizable Universal Cuff Stylus – This universal cuff stylus gives people who have no fingers or people with limited grip, hand strength, or dexterity a way to interact with their capacitive devices – tablets and smartphones.
- Personalized Cuff Utensil Holder – a 3D printable cuff and utensil holder that can be used by people with limited hand strength to use knives, forks and spoons to prepare and eat meals.
- Magnetic Shoelaces – Individuals with limited dexterity due either to muscle control or to joint pain can have difficulty lacing and tying their shoes. These magnetic shoelaces make it possible to easily put on and tighten and, later, take off lace-up shoes.
- Kobayashi Fidget Cube – Remix – The Kobayashi Fidget Cube is a clever, 3D-printable fidget. The most amazing thing about it is that no assembly is required. Unfortunately, 3D printers can create sharp-feeling 90-degree angles, and this design has many of them. The cube is intended to be manipulated by a person’s hand, and those sharp edges can be annoying. I was able to add a chamfer to all external edges, and this “remixed” design has a much softer and more comfortable feel while it’s being handled.
- Pop-top Can and Bottle Opener – Individuals with limited dexterity due either to problems with muscle control or to joint pain can have difficulty opening pop-top cans and opening small bottles. This assistive device makes it easier to accomplish both tasks.
- Customizable Straw Holder – There are a couple of straw holders on Thingiverse that utilize this basic design but neither of them are customizable. They fit a single size of straw and a single cup/glass size. As a result we’ve developed this customizable design. You can select the size of the hole for your straw and the width of the slot that grasps the edge of the glass.
- Measuring Rings – Sometimes you just need to measure the diameter of someone’s thumb, finger, or toe – and account for the size of a knuckle. These ring stars cover all diameters from 10 mm to 29 mm.
- Palm Loop Measurement Tool – Sometimes you need to measure a person’s palm (e.g., if you’re making a universal cuff stylus or utensil holder). This simple tool will give you basic height and width measurements.
- Suction-Cup Switch Mount – So, you’d like to secure a switch to a solid surface but you don’t want to drill holes in it. Maybe you want the freedom to move the switch around and putting down Velcro each time is too restrictive or you just don’t like the adhesive residue that it’s likely to leave behind.This design uses a suction cup to hold the switch in place.
- Echo Button Mount with Lever Arm – Echo Buttons are much more useful than you might think. They can be used to play games but they can also be used to control your environment and make announcements. In one facility serving people with disabilities, echo buttons are used to initiate Amazon Alexa routines that vary from turning on and setting the temperature of a smart oven to announcing that a client needs help in one of the bathrooms. This device takes an existing Echo Button mount design and adds a lever arm to reduce the activation force from 700 grams to just 200 grams.
- Custom Support Legs for Arkon Mounting System – Arkon makes a strong and inexpensive mounting system for tablets that can be mounted to tables and wheelchairs. The system costs about $35 and comes with a variety of tablet support legs of different lengths. Unfortunately, the length of the shelf on all of the legs is too small to reliably hold tablets that have been placed in cases. We’ve created a custom support leg designer that allows you to create your own custom support legs.
- Tablet Stand for Cases without One – Properly positioning a person’s tablet can make the difference between their success or failure in using an AAC app. The app needs to be positioned so that it can easily be viewed and accessed.
- Customizable Head Pointer – A head pointer is used by individuals with limited hand or arm control to interact with a physical keyboard or a capacitive, computer/tablet touchscreen. It can also be used to manipulate objects like turning pages in a book. The size of the head mount is customizable to within a millimeter. As with any 3D-printed device, you have access to a rainbow of filament colors. Finally, the head mount designer provides accommodations for decorating the head pointer with elements that personalize the head pointer.
- Project Core 3D-Symbols “Remix” – We have re-implemented the 3D-symbols originally designed by Project Core to help individuals who are blind or visually impaired to develop communication skills. Our remix improves on the Project Core designs by providing flexibility, extensibility, and simplicity.
- Lamp Words for Life – VI Keyguard – We’ve leveraged the capabilities of our keyguard designer to design a low-cost keyguard for use with the PRC-Saltillo Lamp Words for Life – VI AAC program. Download an STL file and print the keyguard for yourself or follow our instructions and modify/extend our design.
