Pop Sci DIY: Meet Three Young Inventors Using 3D Printing to Change the World

After a showcase hosted by Autodesk,  Jason Lederman of Popular Science sat down with three young creators (all under the age of 18, in fact) who are all using 3D printing technology in very different ways. 

Jordan Reeves, age 11

At a camp co-hosted by Autodesk and nonprofit KidMob young Jordan developed what she dubbed “Project Unicorn” – a prosthetic arm capable of shooting five cylinders’ worth of glitter.  Reeves herself was born with a left arm that stops just above the elbow and has used a prosthetic arm for most of her life. “Creating and building stuff is fun,” Reeves told Popular Science. “Kids will make the future better if they start designing…The smallest thing can make a big impact.”

Jakob Sperry, age 15

Jakob, like so many others, struggles with ADHD. While his teachers would provide him with “fidget toys” – he didn’t find them very impressive, so he decided to create his own after he found an inspiring design on Thingiverse.  This led to the creation of Gyrings – five concentric rings that encompass a ball. Sperry initially used his friends as guinea pigs, eventually settling on the current design. He has sold over 1,000 Gyrings and has entered into a licensing agreement with Ceaco. 

Alexis Lewis, age 17

Inspired by a news story that involved a mother dropping her child out of an apartment building windo to save it from dying of smoke inhalation, Lewis developed the Emergency Mask Pod – “a plastic, football-shaped case that can hold Xcaper’s Emergency Mask, plus act as an additional protection to keep smoke out of users’ eyes. The package also includes a glow stick, which makes the user more visible in a smoky room.” Lewis claims the current iteration of the design may be thrown into a second-story window with 70% accuracy. This allows first responders to appropriately dress before entering the building while providing those trapped in the building with assistance.