Makers Making Change and Bambu Lab Launch Global Assistive Tech 3D Printing Challenge

Makers Making Change, an initiative managed by the Canadian nonprofit Neil Squire, has partnered with Bambu Lab and a coalition of global accessibility groups to launch Make for Good. This worldwide design challenge focuses on creating open-source assistive technology that can be reliably produced on standard desktop 3D printers.

Hosted on Bambu Lab’s MakerWorld repository, the competition invites makers, designers, and engineers to develop practical devices addressing real-world challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. Competitors can select from 24 specific design briefs formulated by Makers Making Change alongside partner organisations such as PrintLab, Ayúdame3D, e-NABLE France, MakeGood, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, and Rightfooted Foundation International.

Focus on Practical Design Briefs

The competition targets everyday utility rather than abstract concepts. The provided design briefs include adaptive tools such as gripping aids for writing utensils, modified cutlery handles, textile supports, and recreational adaptations like modified sports equipment grips. Each brief emphasizes human-centred design principles, ensuring that finished items solve genuine daily struggles.

Participants must design functional objects that are easily reproducible on common consumer-grade hardware. Proper documentation is a core requirement so that volunteer networks and communities worldwide can manufacture the devices locally. Shortlisted entries will undergo a rigorous evaluation phase where partner organisations physically print and test the submissions.

What This Means for South African Makers

Local makers, schools, and community groups possess a powerful opportunity to engage with meaningful design work using equipment they already own. Because desktop 3D printers are widely accessible in South Africa, open-source assistive technology provides a direct channel for community impact. Makers can review the published briefs, adapt existing solutions for local needs, and contribute to libraries that supply free or low-cost adaptive devices where conventional manufacturing or imported medical aids are too expensive or unavailable.

DC3D’s Take

This initiative highlights the practical value of desktop additive manufacturing beyond hobbyist printing. Too often, discussions focus solely on speed and multicolour aesthetics, but accessible design demonstrates the true utility of local fabrication. By relying on standardised digital files and widely available materials like PLA and PETG, maker communities can bypass traditional supply chains to deliver functional, life-enhancing tools directly to those who need them.