Over the years, there have been a number of heart-warming stories about innovators and engineers using 3D printing to design prosthetics and other systems that help veterans regain abilities they may have lost. Here’s an opportunity for engineers to contribute to this effort.

The VA Center for Innovation is hosting a Prosthetics and Assistive Technology Challenge, July 28-29, 2015. This two-day event was developed to help improve patient care and quality of life for veterans by creating personalized, tailored services that will live on in a publicly accessible open ecosystem. It also gives designers an opportunity to create unique solutions for veterans’ needs. The VA Center is partnering with Stratasys for this event.

Anyone interested in helping to improve the lives of veterans is welcome– veterans, engineers, designers, and 3D printing enthusiasts. Participants will have the opportunity to present different problems impacting differently-abled veterans. Based on the pitches, teams will use Stratasys 3D Printers, along with mentorship support from veterans and technical experts who will design and develop ideas.

Stratasys is supplying 14 FDM 3D Printers and application engineering support for the two-day design challenge. During the event, design teams will use the 3D printers to produce prototypes, test and refine their designs. Design files were submitted online through GrabCAD (Stratasys’ open-source design community), which will be 3D printed at the event for veterans with specific needs.

The Prosthetics and Assistive Technology Challenge will be held at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center located at 1201 Broad Rock Blvd., Richmond, VA 23249 on July 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday, July 29 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (all times are eastern). The event is free and open to the public.