Over the course of this studio, students will work one-on-one with the McMains Children's Developmental Center in Baton Rouge. Their goal will be to design and build objects customized to the specific needs of those with Cerebral Palsy. The focus of these projects will be on creative recreational play activities, such as gardening and artistic expression. 

Last night I was in a bad car wreck. My car was completely totaled. But the scary part of it was a 2 by 4 crashed through my windshield, grazed across the left side of my head, and then flew into my backseat. If that board hit me ½ an inch to the right, I wouldn’t be here right now. I was ½ an inch away from dying. This has caused me to reflect on my life up until this point. I feel that I haven’t spent enough time with my friends and family, and that all I need to do is spend more time with the people I care about. For the most part I’ve been upset with school. I spend my time bored in a classroom, daydreaming of being able to see foreign cities, taste new foods, or simply lie down in a field. I was upset because I could have spent my time doing just that. But there’s something I don’t regret, and that’s making this project. A project that I’ll probably never forget, Blow Boats.

Blow Boats is an interactive game for kids with cerebral palsy that helps with physical therapy and doubles as a piece of the garden when not in use. It was made because the McMains center was looking for new games for their kids to play, and we noticed one of them, A man named Andrew, had a passion for boats. I don’t regret spending my time working on this project because I know it could bring a little joy to people like Andrew, and because I had the pleasure of working on this project with Jack Morganti. Jack and I have had our fair share of differences, but I feel that being partnered with him taught me somethings about myself. Now most of our differences were opinions about the design.

Originally we had a track that was going to be something you could move around and keep indoors. Now we had changed it, adding a garden to it, so that even while it’s not in use it’s adding to the atmosphere. Our track now has a lane running down each side with the garden in the middle. We have 3D printed boats that can be pushed along the water by fans that are workable for people with CP. These fans were made with a button that extrudes from the top, so that they would be easier to turn on. These fans also are attached to a ball joint that is attached to a clamp, so that one could attach it to their wheelchair or walker and maneuver them easier. The Boats were made wide with a heavy bottom, so that they could hold a larger sail which would catch more wind. The track we had made of aluminum. Metal is perfect for this track and aluminum is the most heat resistant metal we could get our hands on. This was a rewarding experience not only because I got to work on something that would help my community, but also because I had the privilege of working through a creative process with an interesting partner.

Kids Mist: A tool that allows kids with CP to engage in more water activities outside.

The initial goal for the project was being able to provide a method for kids with CP to water plants in that garden at McMains. The original design was a irrigation system based on a system of over hanging tubes that sprayed water in different sections of the garden. While the initial idea was good, it was to complex for the scope of this class, and also ran into logistical issues, such as being able to hang tubes from an overhead structure, and running pipes along the ground. The original idea behind this prototype was then taken and designed into something more portable. This final project is a portable water cannon turret with a modular and removable water reservoir solution to allow full motion and ultimate portability.

The goal for the water cannon turret is to allow kids with CP participate in water games with other friends and family. It allows them full range of motion, portability with their wheel chairs, and control system adaptability for each individual student.