The heart of the collaborative economy

Robot by Mylene

Open source sharing has gone a long way beyond techies helping each other build software in under-lit studies or bedrooms. Collaborating for good is the new name of the game

These days hotels are opening up their lobby spaces and devising cunning plans to fill empty rooms, empty space in cars is pooled and shared, while car spaces are made available where before there were none. 

For a total cost of around $60, 9 year old Matthew Shields, who has struggled since birth without fingers on his right hand got a prosthesis designed, printed in 3d and fitted by a 16 year old family friend.

Mason Wilde personifies what the collaborative economy is all about. When he heard how his friend’s mum had seen a design for a prosthetic arm in South Africa that could possibly change her son’s life, Mason didn’t hesitate to help his friend Matthew. He jumped online, scaled the design to fit, nipped down to his communal library ‘maker-space’ and, using the shared 3d printer, created the essential parts that he could pull together with basic materials from his local hardware store.

480px-Pink_or_Plum_Robot_Face_With_Green_Eyes

Mathew can now open and close his Robo-hand for gripping things while Mason has launched a nonprofit robotic hand printing business true to the sharing spirit of the maker ethic. This is the heart of the collaborative economy.. across continents, at minimal cost and with absolutely wonderful outcomes.

 

© M B for openphoto.net

“Pink or Plum Robot Face With Green Eyes” by Bilboq, with color modifications by Singularity Utopia http://tinyurl.com/lr9rm8o

Thanks! You've already liked this

Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /home5/goodbusi/public_html/ideas/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php on line 405