![John Gluck’s eyes glistened with joy and amazement when a set of wooden shelves in front of him lit up in bright blue.]( "John Gluck’s eyes glistened with joy and amazement when a set of wooden shelves in front of him lit up in bright blue.")
John Gluck’s eyes glistened with joy and amazement when a set of wooden shelves in front of him lit up in bright blue.
![Sarah Esquela, 18, works to assemble a prosthetic hand that is being made for a military veteran who lost a hand]( "Sarah Esquela, 18, works to assemble a prosthetic hand that is being made for a military veteran who lost a hand")
Sarah Esquela, 18, works to assemble a prosthetic hand that is being made for a military veteran who lost a hand
![Tae Edell is one of a team of volunteers that give their time to make this event possible.]( "Tae Edell is one of a team of volunteers that give their time to make this event possible.")
Tae Edell is one of a team of volunteers that give their time to make this event possible.
Reston, Virginia Sep 7, 2018 (Issuewire.com) - From 14 to 16 September 2018 teams of individuals with special needs will come together with innovators, designers, and entrepreneurs at Nova Labs in Reston to design and build custom products that aid individuals who have physical challenges.
During the Make-A-Thon, sponsored by Google, teams of engineers, fabricators, and designers (“makers”) work hand-in-hand with people who have special needs (“need-knowers”) to develop working prototypes that address specific challenges. “We want to create affordable solutions that address overlooked or neglected physical challenges and provide them to the world free of charge,” said Bo Wernick, an Empower2Make (E2M) event organizer.
According to the World Bank, one billion people, or 15 percent of the world’s population, experience some form of disability. Technology development that could address their needs is often neglected because of market demographics or other issues. Some challenges may be faced by only a handful of people, meaning there’s not enough demand for a corporate solution. In some cases, innovators have ideas but have not yet been able to bring them to market. In others, the solution is still waiting to be found.
“We focus on problems that have no affordable market solution, where perhaps the market is too fragmented due to highly specific needs or because there isn’t enough potential revenue to appeal to a single company,” said Fred Briggs, an E2M organizer.
“The Make-A-Thon is about giving back… We have such a diverse set of talented, passionate Makers… this event takes their movement one step further by focusing on assistive technology to address unmet challenges for people with disabilities,” said E2M organizer Patrick Thompson.
Individuals and members of the press interested in viewing the ideas and products generated at the Make-A-Thon can attend Team Presentations at Nova Labs on Sunday, September 16 from 11 am to 1 pm. RSVP to www.facebook.com/events/345954179476517/
“It is memorable to see the look of amazement when you show a Need-Knower a viable final product. I left feeling I got more than I gave,” said Jade Garrett, a maker at the 2016 Make-A-Thon who has returned as an organizer this year.
Nova Labs (www.nova-labs.org) is a 501-3c Non-Profit Makerspace located at 1916 Isaac Newton Square West in Reston, Virginia. This is Nova Labs second Assistive Technology Make-A-Thon. If you wish to participate in the next event, E2M and Nova Labs are planning it for 12-14 April 2019. Makers, Need-Knowers and potential Sponsors can connect the E2M team at www.empower2make.org or info@empower2make.org.
Media Contact
Nova Labs patrick.thompson@nova-labs.org 1916 Isaac Newton Square W, Reston, VA 20194 http://www.nova-labs.org
