E-NABLE FRANCE | Paris, France | March 2021
Chapter Spotlight also available in Google Docs
Site & Community
- Based in Paris, France
- Began operations in December 2015
- Community support across Europe and Africa
- 730 registered recipient volunteers
- Delivered 250-300 devices
e-NABLE France founders began following the movement in the beginning of 2014 and became active with 3D printing the same year, participating as a ‘Matcher’ between makers and recipient volunteers for all of Europe. After an influx of media stories, the public began to take notice and inquiries started pouring in for help.
In late 2015, the chapter was established as an official “Loi De 1901” Non-Profit. By the end of 2016 they obtained ‘Intérêt général’ official status, allowing donors to obtain tax reductions on donations. They offer support in France but also across the French diaspora. In Europe and Africa, this has included Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Togo, Casamance, Belgium, Switzerland, and others. In addition to supporting the French community, they have helped teams in Italy and Romania start their own chapters, and continue regular collaborations with chapters in Luxembourg and the UK.
Their 730 registered recipient volunteers are mostly in France, with perhaps 20 from other regions. Most cases are for youth 5-15 years old, with only special cases under 5 years old and some adults for social reasons or specific tasks at work or leisure.
Tech & Specs
- Registered network includes 45-50 3D Printer models
As part of their registration process, e-NABLE France collects information about the FDM printers used by affiliated volunteers. This currently includes about 45-50 models among validated makers. The most popular are Ender3, CR10 Creality, Prusa MK3, and Alpha wise U20. Each maker has registered at least one printer, although they can include more. One member has registered 23 models.
The team has explored basic testing with resin printing, and has guided schools making metal parts for hands.
Team & Specialities
Board of Directors
- Corinne Oquidam | CFO of e-NABLE France
- Sylvie Auffret | Robotics Specialist
- Flavie Benziri | Community Outreach, Fundraising
- Fred Guiraud | Filament Specialist (plastics)
- Ghislain Gauthier | Entrepreneur, 3D Printing, Licensing
- Xavier Grosjean | Research & Development
- Grégory Carpentier | Outreach and Fundraising
- Thibaut Mesple | Lead Robotics
- Thierry Oquidam | President of chapter, logistics
Volunteer Teams
- 400 validated makers (successfully built a test arm)
- 380 unregistered makers active within the year
- 3000 historical registrations since their founding
e-NABLE France is led by 9 people managing operations, meeting once a month and organizing their activities in work groups. Before the pandemic, they traveled across France to meet in person, but have adapted to remote collaboration. e-NABLE France manages a huge team of non-paid volunteers. This includes medical professionals, teachers, robotics & electronics professionals, aeronautical and automotive engineers, entertainment and communications specialists, and developers.
Design & Process
- Experienced with Unlimbited Phoenix and Phoenix Reborn
- 2 level of volunteer registration process
e-NABLE France primarily has used the Unlimbited Phoenix models, or the Phoenix Reborn for hot climates. They have also used Phoenix Unlimbited arms and Knicks fingers. They are exploring other devices and designing new attachments to solve task-specific problems like riding a bicycle.
The chapter has set up legal documents with a lawyer that describe the roles and responsibilities of the recipient volunteer, the maker, and the chapter members. All parties must fully accept the agreement prior to any collaboration.
The 2 level of volunteer registration process requires makers to submit a test device, detailing the 3D print through photos and a video showing the device range of motion. Each maker manages their own 3D printer and understands safety concerns while making devices. The managers track activity and those who have not finalized their test arm are removed from the database after a year.
The matching process takes place through a system the team has designed and developed (see Projects & Collaborations for details). Each recipient volunteer requests a device via the online form (accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for minors). Images are submitted to detail the complexity of the case. For complex cases that require design and customization, they set up teams of 4-6 validated makers to explore modeling and conception led by a volunteer manager. Final matching of volunteers and recipient volunteers is manually selected by the management team.
Projects & Collaborations
The chapter has partners in the business community with filament supply companies and 3D printer manufacturers (see Funding below).
A developer volunteer created a Python script linking their Wordpress database system to a map that manages requests and matching of volunteers. The platform includes administration controls and community data tracking tools for both makers and recipients for ongoing projects. The matching system automatically identifies the closest makers and emails all parties involved with the case with updates. They hope to expand the features, including automatic follow-up questionnaires for delivered devices to collect user feedback and enhancements within the matching system.
The team developed an arm design for a 15 year old boy born without a left arm in collaboration with the Brest CHU (a large hospital in the north west of France). They have also collaborated with public healthcare professionals at another large hospital in the Paris area to design a device for a unique case. The project involved a team of 6 volunteers working together along with the Occupational Therapist from the hospital for support. They developed several prototypes in the process, along with several other terminal devices for task-specific needs
Research
e-NABLE France has collaborated with an Engineering College, but has struggled to maintain momentum with students who move on to other endeavors after the semester ends. They have identified and documented several design issues with the Phoenix Hand, such as the distracting noise during use and issues with grip strength. They have collected user requests for features such as the ability to extend the pointer finger to type on keyboards.
They have led educational events using the Arduino powered HACKberry by an Open Source team in japan, who provides robotics kits. They have also been developing a system for recording device use through an arduino nano and accelerometer in a collaboration with a French research hospital.
Funding
The chapter sustains itself exclusively through donations, which primarily results from public media stories. Their public presence allows them to pitch their activities to every foundation project they become aware of (see Public Presence below). Fundraising is also achieved through companies as well as individual makers working for large companies and foundations. Annual reporting offers detailed insights for donors.
As media interest has shifted during the pandemic, the team plans to be more proactive about obtaining sponsors and grants to support their activities.
Public Presence
Website: e-nable.fr
Chapter members participate as much as possible in radio, television, newspapers, and events.
The team relies on their website and Facebook for online activities for sharing information. They maintain dialogue with their community through five Facebook groups as well as email, Messenger, and Slack for task-specific workgroups.
They regularly participate in events and conferences to raise awareness, most of them being focused on medical or accessibility.
The chapter supports French media outlets, which is also distributed across French speaking regions in Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Their Facebook video channel hosts almost 40 news specials, collected over the past 5 years!
- RTBF Auvio News Special 2020
- France 3 Reims - Ensemble c'est mieux 2020
- Dagoma - News Special - Prostheses for Children 2019
