3D Printed Mobility Walker

An Inspiring Open-Source Hardware Project

In the latest edition of Make Magazine (Vol. 88), Joshua Pearce provides an excellent summary of a project he and his colleagues (Anita So and Jacob Reeves) developed at the University of Western Ontario. They set out to develop a low-cost mobility walker using standard wooden dowels and 3D printed joints. The result is an affordable, incredibly strong, high-customizable walker that can be produced with limited resources. Using their design, it’s possible to build a bespoke walker for less than USD$70.

Importantly, Joshua and his colleagues have already tested the static strength of the walker under different load conditions. As long as the walker is produced according to the project’s specifications, you can be confident in the walker’s structural soundness. The STL files needed for printing the joints can be found here: https://osf.io/v3njw/ The original open-source article (along with assembly instructions) can be downloaded here: https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5134/8/3/79#app2-inventions-08-00079.

Our sincere thanks to Joshua, Anita, and Jacob for their inspiring efforts to reduce the cost of mobility walkers, and for making their research accessible to all.