Assistive Technologist, Cathryn Tamney never stops searching for better ways to create assistive technology for patients. She uses laser cutting and 3D printing to make different elements of assistive technology, but was having problems with creating keyguards, which are hard plastic grids placed on top of a screen to prevent the user from accidently pressing multiple keys.
“The 3D printed ones tend to take a long time and due to the small lines can sometimes have a high fail rate,” Cathryn explains.
Cathryn received an email from a 3D printing supplier that included information on the Mayku Multiplier, a device that creates molds, and reached out to the company to learn more about it. Mayku agreed to loan a machine to the Hospital so Cathryn could see if it would offer a solution to creating better keyguards and other assistive technology parts.
The trial was successful, and Cathryn has added the Mayku Multiplier to her workshop as an additional tool.
“Keyguards are not often a one size fits all, since so many of our patients have different sensory needs,” Cathryn says. “That is the main reason I make them in so many different ways.”
Read more about this innovative technology and the ways Cathryn is using it to offer the best assistive technology to patients here.