Mark refused to accept that there were no prosthetic arms for him. So he has driven him to travel the world testing various alternatives and helping himself while also adding to the body of knowledge in the specialty of prosthetic limb technology.

The inventor, who works in a mechanic shop, tired a cosmetic arm, but it was useless. Later he bought a $80,000 sophisticated arm, but it wasn’t good for his machine-shop work.

“I wanted to get back to doing the activities I loved (mainly motocross and snowmobile racing) , but I soon found out there was nothing that would really allow me to ride the way I did before my amputation. With my knowledge and experience of fabrication, the experience of tuning suspension on my race equipment and my unwillingness to compromise I set out to create what I needed.

This device works by allowing users to upload text files, such as novels, using a USB stick. The text then appears in Braille via small physical ‘bubbles’ that rise and fall on demand.

It all started when the inventor was studying industrial engineering at the University of Sofia, and a blind colleague asked her to help to register for online classes because he couldn’t do it by himself.

Because he wasn’t happy with the available options on the market, he took action.

“I’ve always been a tinkerer, so first thought in the hospital was that I could build myself something interesting, as I had heard about 3D printed prosthetics before. I glanced at available options but wasn’t terribly impressed with it came down to it, especially for those of us missing two knuckles. Buying one? What fun would that be?! The after market devices offered by most doctors were silly silicone contraptions that didn’t move or function.”

MidiWing is based on the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), a computer communication protocol. MIDI is the protocol which allows electronic musical instruments and other musical hardware to talk to each other and to computers. The controllers tell a sound producing device what note to play, for how long, how loud or soft and other similar information. 

Dan was driven to create this device after he saw several disabled children at his mother’s work.

The use of this bracelet allows mothers to keep record of the immunization of their children. There is no language or literacy barriers regarding the using of this device because it uses symbols. The bracelet is to be worn by a child from birth to age four, with the goal that more children will live to age five. The device is simple and non-mechanical, and its production is low cost.

George has with experience in the welding trade, and has been working on various accessories designed to make his nephew's life easier.

This sink stand is mainly an adaptation of the height of the steps to the length of Yvan’s legs, and is safe to use and store.

Ziad adapted to his life circumstances with his condition, but things got harder when it was time for him to go to school. Since his family had no money to buy the prosthetics available on the market, his father built his own prosthetics, using plastic bottles. The bottles have been cut in half and placed on the arm, while a tool (be it a spoon, pen or other) is pierced through bottle cap and held in place.

The wheelchair is equipped with a rotating seat and can move in any direction hands-free, enabling dancers and others with disabilities to move more freely. 

“To command the device, a user straps on a portable, wireless control — in this case, a cell phone — to a mobile part of her body, say the head or the upper back. When she leans in a desired direction, the phone detects the movement and instructs the chair to follow suit”, the inventor explained.

Merry worked on the device for over a decade, having patented her innovation.

The Tactile Stave Notation consists of a sheet music built using 3D printing, and helps the readers by slightly elevating the staff and notes printed on it, allowing both visually impaired musicians and sighted people to read the same musical score. This is an alternative to Braille musical notation, because one doesn’t have to know Braille to be able to read the sheet.

Jason became a C6/C7 incomplete quadriplegic in 1994, after a car accident, when he was driving home.

"[The doctors] said 'you're probably never going to walk and probably never going to play the drums again. It was like a nuclear bomb was dropped on my life. I thought my career was over”, he recalled.

Over the years, Jason regained the use of his arms, and he never gave up on his passion about the drums.

The board can be placed in two different positions:
- On user’s tights, with the shelf is titled by a flap mounted on hinges, with a slat at the front that prevents the book from slipping;
- On the armrests, allowing the user to regularly lift himself from his seats (this is important in order to avoid pressure sores) using the hands without removing the shelf. This is fixed on a wooden lath by means of two clamping blocks, pierced with a hole which allows to put them on the armrests. It can slide back and forth.

The musician used different technologies over the years to help him perform tasks such as composing songs, reading books, interacting with people, etc.

Gary, with his son’s help, developed simple way for his Jason to communicate using a hand-painted geometrical eye chart. The user spells by moving his eyes to the letters in the separate sections of the board, although at home, his family has learned to "read" his eye movements without the aid of the letter board. It’s faster and more efficient than having someone slowly call out all the letters from A-Z until Jason blinked. 

Otostick Baby® consists of a small, practically invisible silicone prosthesis which keeps the ear close to the head using a specially developed hypoallergenic adhesive. It is discreet, painless and does not require a prescription. 

Bernard had to cope with the problem of controlling speed and brakes on the right side of the bike, since he can’t move his right hand, arm and shoulder.

The solution he came up with consists of inverting the left and right handles, as well as the rear derailleur control. The rear brake control (which is most often used) is also turned left.

This adaptation does not entail any cost and does not require any specific equipment.

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/2pGYebi

The professor invented a design which combines the book’s original text with Braille, allowing both sighted and blind people to read the same book at the same time.

The device is removable: it can be tilted backwards when transferring into or out of the wheelchair and adjusting according to the size of the person. It was built for an electric wheelchair, but it can be adapted to any type of wheelchair.

Despite his condition, Michel kept drawing, using his mouth, and then with the assistance of computer technology. He designed the plans to adapt a system for relieving the shoulder joint, which is heavily used by wheelchair users to maintain a good position.

Because of his disability, it is hard for Giddeon to hold the controllers. When the boy went to Able Gamers, tried to play the Kinect, a camera-like device that sees human movement as the controller. But due to his disability, the camera was unable to see Giddeon’s arms.

“My friend had a car accident and his female companion was severely injured, so I thought I could do something to help my friend's friend get up and stand”, he explained.     

Freddy, who holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, designed a robotic exoskeleton that enables patients with physical disabilities, and with severe spinal cord injuries to carry out everyday activities such as standing up and walking.

"Many disabled people can't use exoskeletons because these are designed to be used by people with specific injuries," the inventor said.

Frank replaced the regular footrest by a foldable version that Ingrid can handle herself by pulling on the strings placed on the side of her chair.

Ingrid got paralyzed after an accident, and she is learning to walk again. Through exercises, she gradually found a minimal use of her legs, which she uses to support her weight when traveling to move in or out of her wheelchair, to stand for a few moments with help and take a few steps behind a walker.