We are very excited to announce both a Guest of Honor and our 2015 Hack of Honor! Working hand-in-hand (forgive me) are e-Nabling the Future (represented by Jen Owen and Ivan Owen) and our Guest of Honor (GoH) Albert Manero.
e-Nable the Future matches volunteers with individuals in need to make low cost 3D printed prosthetics for as low as $50 per hand. What started as a collaborative project for one child has become a world-wide maker movement (with over 500 members) utilizing the open source tech philosophy.
e-Nable hopes to show the Penguicon community how their knowledge and passion, combined with open source technologies, can help change the world.
e-Nabling the Future is hosting their first conference at John Hopkins Hospital on September 28, 2014. The conference will unveil the e-Nable 2.0 hand, the worlds first crowd-sourced, crowd developed prosthetic.
Our Guest of Honor, Albert Manero, signed up to be a volunteer with e-Nabling the Future and was quickly matched up with a six-year old boy in his local area. He gathered a team of friends and printed a myoelectric arm that runs off of servos and batteries that are actuated by muscle energy – the child flexes his bicep to squeeze the arm.
Albert and his team are excited to show the Penguicon community examples of the prosthetics they are working on that react to muscle movement for control.
Albert is currently a Fulbright Scholar at University of Central Florida where he is pursuing his Doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering.