Teen Spends 300 Hours 3D Printing Baby's Custom Wheelchair

Zac Waters spent 300 hours of his summer vacation doing something most teenagers never consider: building a wheelchair from scratch for a baby he'd never met.

The 13-year-old from Utah discovered MakeGood, a New Orleans nonprofit, while watching YouTube videos about 3D printing. When he learned about a 21-month-old girl who needed a wheelchair her family couldn't afford, he knew he could help.

Waters designed, printed, tested, and assembled every piece himself. His favorite part was putting it all together, watching individual plastic components transform into something that would change a child's life.

MakeGood makes this possible by providing free blueprints for custom assistive devices that cost a fraction of commercial prices. The nonprofit listens to people with disabilities, understands their daily challenges, and creates solutions using accessible technology.

Brittany in North Canton, Ohio, followed a similar path. After seeing MakeGood's Toddler Mobility Trainer on TikTok, she bought a 3D printer to help her foster daughter Stormi, who has a rare genetic condition called ASXL3/Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome.

Her first mobility trainer took six weeks to complete. "Every failed print and long printing day was worth it," she said.

Now Brittany is a vetted MakeGood chair maker, working on her eighth and ninth mobility builds. Stormi tests new designs before they're released to other families worldwide.

Noam Platt founded MakeGood after helping a local family design a supportive toilet seat. "There is an almost unlimited amount of design work that needs to be done in disability technology," he said.

The Ripple Effect

MakeGood now supports over 1,000 volunteer makers across the globe, each becoming heroes in their communities. The organization intentionally designed the Toddler Mobility Trainer to be simple enough for anyone to build.

Platt's team is developing motorized, sports, and outdoor versions of their wheelchairs. They also teach other organizations how to create assistive technology and work on various devices beyond mobility aids.

Some families buy their first 3D printer to help their own child, then discover they can help others too. Monthly donations of just $10 help sustain the project and empower more volunteers like Zac.

The movement proves that life-changing technology doesn't require expensive equipment or advanced degrees, just willing hearts and a few hundred hours of determination.