As I was working on a master’s degree in special education and a certificate in assistive technology, I had an opportunity to survey the domain of assistive technology (AT) – in particular electronic input devices. The first thing I noticed was the mind-numbing variety of available pressure switches with huge amounts of overlap in functionality and features. They’re also hugely expensive. It was difficult to determine why a particular manufacturer chose to incorporate a particular feature set into their switch, but once incorporated, there was little or no support for customization.
In retrospect, this is the unavoidable result of the selection of traditional mass production manufacturing methods by companies trying to serve a market that is small in size and incredibly diverse in its needs. The hallmarks of mass production are: huge set-up costs and small per-item costs. Any changes in design require significant investment, up front, that have to be cost-justified. The market for assistive technology is small and it has no “sweet-spot” – every individual with a disability is an amalgam of unique needs and desires. AT users are typically required to accommodate their device rather than the other way around.
For my master’s project, I decided to propose A Modular Architecture for Control and Communication Assistive Technology Devices. While researching and writing the paper I happened to purchase a 3D Printer and immediately saw the opportunity that 3D printing created for low cost, one-off (personalized), manufacturing. The technology is also simple enough to use that it could be put into the hands of people close to the individuals with disabilities – OTs, PTs, SLPs, ATPs, and even families. Putting the implementation of assistive technology close to the people who will use it ensures that the needs and preferences of those individuals will be considered.
I began working on a proof of concept for a low cost, modular pressure switch that could be 3D-printed and easily assembled from off the shelf electronics (no soldering required). The result is “The Volksswitch” and this website. Since then, I’ve designed several other customizable, personalizable, 3D-printable AT devices. These, along with The Volksswitch are the “Volks-Devices” and they’re just the tip of what’s possible.
Volksswitch.org (“The People’s AT Devices”) was loosely inspired by the original Volkswagen (“The People’s Car”).
(The following was stolen, almost verbatim, from Wikipedia.)
In April 1934, the German government ordered Ferdinand Porsche to design a Volkswagen (literally, “people’s car” in German). The government insisted on a basic vehicle that could transport two adults and three children at 100 km/h (62 mph) while not using more than 7 liters of fuel per 100 km (32 mpg US/39 mpg UK). The engine had to be powerful for sustained cruising on Germany’s new Autobahnen. Everything had to be designed to ensure parts could be quickly and inexpensively exchanged. The engine had to be air-cooled because not every country doctor had his own garage. In general, radiators filled with water would freeze unless the vehicle was kept in a heated building overnight or drained and refilled each morning.) The “People’s Car” would be available to citizens of Germany through a savings scheme, or Sparkarte (savings booklet), at 990 Reichsmark, about the price of a small motorcycle.
The Volkswagen clearly achieved its goal of being an inexpensive, highly functional, and highly reliable automobile for the average person – and was also my first car back in 1976. Volksswitch.org has similar aspirations in terms of cost, functionality and reliability for all its designs, but simultaneously aspires to high levels of customization and personalization – a capability which is only now feasible via the technology of 3D printing. If you believe, like I do, that it’s possible, please contact me by submitting some information about yourself on our contact page. All designs developed by Volksswitch are provided, free of charge, to the public.
Power to the People!
Ken Hackbarth
P.S. If you’ve come to Volksswitch.org looking for our keyguard designer, follow the link in the navigation bar above to our “Volks-Devices” or click on the image below.
