Peter Binkley is one person who is knee deep in developing open-source mechanical hands via an organization which is known as E-Nable, and he makes use of a Solidoodle 3D printer for his 3D printing needs. One of the main reasons that he decided to join up with the movement would be to build an assistive device that is now known as the Talon Hand 2.0 with his son Peregrine Hawthorn, as Peregrine wanted one to use himself.
Peter’s Talon Hand 2.0 design is not entirely his own idea, as it was based on the collaborative work of Ivan Owen and Richard Van As. It so happens that Peter’s design is a direct descendant of that, in addition to being a snap-together version. Of course, there has been a fair amount of tweaking, scaling, testing, and reverse-engineering done to the design so that it is able to fit and work better, as majority of the feedback hailed from his son Peregrine Hawthorn.
It is heartwarming to read on how a high school teacher who has spent a dozen years teaching French and ESL in public schools come up with something like the Talon Hand 2.0, which just goes to show that where there is a will, there is way. A modern day Tony Stark, perhaps, who has a whole lot of heart as well. If only Darth Vader had the same kind of compassion on Luke Skywalker…
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