Professor Creates 2,000 Assistive Devices for Under $5 Each

When your assistive technology breaks and replacements cost thousands of dollars, Therese Willkomm has a solution that costs pocket change.

The retired University of New Hampshire professor has created more than 2,000 assistive technology hacks over her 40-year career, earning her the nickname "MacGyver of Assistive Technology." Her mission is simple: help disabled people access the tools they need without breaking the bank.

Willkomm keeps her creations under five dollars each, using materials like corrugated plastic, foam tape, and a moldable substance called Instamorph. The foam tape costs just five cents per foot, meaning failed prototypes waste only a nickel's worth of material.

Her journey started in her father's Wisconsin machine shop, where she learned to weld at age ten after a cousin needed tractor modifications following a farm accident. In 1979, she discovered rehabilitation engineering and never looked back.

The problem she's solving is urgent. Assistive technology is expensive, and many disabled people live on fixed incomes. Commercial devices often can't be repaired or modified, leaving users stuck when something breaks or doesn't work quite right.

Willkomm's solutions range from communication devices to mobility aids. She once designed a foot-operated device for a one-handed farmer who needed to continue his livestock work. She's created 132 different devices using just Instamorph, a non-toxic material that can be reheated and reshaped up to six times.

The Ripple Effect

Willkomm has shared her knowledge far beyond her New Hampshire home. She's presented more than 600 workshops and maker days across 42 states and 14 countries, teaching others to create affordable solutions.

Her impact multiplied during COVID when she pivoted to virtual workshops. Without travel barriers, she served more people during the pandemic than in previous years, shipping materials directly to homes.

The movement gained momentum with advances in materials and techniques. What once required welding equipment in a $50,000 mobile unit now fits in a Honda Accord trunk. Switches that used to require soldering now take 28 seconds to make.

Willkomm gets corrugated plastic donated for free and buys supplies like Velcro in bulk. When an Instamorph device doesn't work, she tosses it in a bucket and reuses the material six or seven times.

She's documented her hacks in three books and continues teaching at the Assistive Technology Industry Association conference in Orlando. Her latest maker day workshop shows others how to create their own five-dollar solutions.

For thousands of disabled people who've attended her workshops or used her designs, independence no longer requires a fortune.