{"id":5935,"date":"2022-11-30T10:44:25","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T10:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.pro\/?p=3450"},"modified":"2026-09-02T14:09:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T14:09:44","slug":"engineering-expertise-to-help-a-charity","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sanner-group.com\/insights\/blog\/engineering-expertise-to-help-a-charity\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can a Wooden Plank Help Amputees Ride a Bike?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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At Sanner we are combining our technical ability and charitable efforts to work on a project with Humanos3D<\/a>, a charity based in Medellin, Colombia.<\/span> Some of the problems the charity is trying to solve are more complex and require iterative design and engineering expertise to meet the needs of the user; Sanner chose to take on one of the unsolved cases. \u00a0We started out with a plank of wood …<\/span><\/p>\n

Background<\/span><\/h2>\n

Humanos3D are a charity dedicated to making low-cost 3D printed prosthetic hands, arms, and assistive devices. They deliver devices across the country – including to some of the most remote areas – through mobile clinics, allowing the charity to reach those most in need. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Colombia has a great need of these devices following a 52-year civil war and more recent violence surrounding the narcotics trade. Humanos3D not only help to provide this service but make all device designs open source so that people can benefit worldwide.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brief<\/span><\/h2>\n

Make riding a bike accessible to people with bi-lateral transradial amputations – both arms below the elbow.<\/span> Since we have a design center in Cambridge, arguably the capital of bike riding in the UK, we felt that working with the charity to make riding a bike more accessible was the perfect project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Being able to ride a bike is a common request but providing sufficient control over steering and braking present the biggest challenges in development. But why are steering and braking so challenging?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n