While the world watches the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic wash over its communities, medical workers are enduring seemingly endless days caring for the sick. Two young brothers have decided to put their skills to good use, dedicating months of their own time to 3D print surgical facemask extenders that provide much-needed comfort to those on the front lines.
HR Technology News: Kofax Donates Power PDF Sale Proceeds to International Red Cross in Support of Front-Line Healthcare Workers
“I saw an article on Facebook about a Boy Scout who was printing mask extenders to help frontline medical personnel wear surgical masks so that their ears wouldn’t be irritated by the elastic,” said Maria Zografos, mother to Costa and Niko, during their recent feature on the TODAY show. “I showed the article to both of the boys, and that really inspired them and sparked an interest.”
Taking initiative is nothing new for the young middle schoolers, who a few years ago created a robotics club after realizing there wasn’t one available for their school’s students. Dubbed the “Taco Bros” and sponsored by iD Tech, the boys took their robotics team to the FIRST LEGO League Championships and walked away with the Core Values Inspiration Award—which is given to those who display extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit.
HR Technology News: TecHRseries Interview with Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek, CMO at SkillSoft
That award-winning spirit is still very much a driving force for the brothers today.
“The boys have spent hours perfecting this process,” Zografos continues. “It would have been really easy for them to print a few extenders and be done with it just to say they did something. But they’ve poured days and days into ensuring they were printing as efficiently as possible, and have even documented the process with written instructions and through their own YouTube channel so that others can join the movement.”
To date, the boys have printed and delivered more than 1,600 extenders, even setting an alarm to press the “print” button every hour and a half. And just as impressive, they’re inspiring others to do the same.
iD Tech, the summer camp where the boys first started building their 3D printing skills, has allocated a fleet of 3D printers to employee volunteers, including CEO Pete Ingram-Cauchi and Co-Founder Alexa Ingram-Cauchi. iD Tech, collectively, has printed more than 5,000.
HR Technology News: MPS Limited Announces Christian Mutzner As New Chief Operating Officer Of MPS Europe