Bambi Cannon, Associate Professor of Computer Information Technology (CIT), spends the academic year as lead faculty for the CIT program at Cleveland State Community College. This summer, however, she is producing custom mobility chairs for children using her 3D printer.

“I ran across this project one day from a post online,” Cannon said. “MakeGood was looking for
makers to print and assemble mobility chairs, and I wanted to help.”

Founded in 2021, MakeGoodINC is a nonprofit organization that designs accessible, custom-
built devices using 3D printing technology. Their flagship program is the Toddler Mobility
Trainer (TMT), a fully 3D-printable mobility chair for children aged 1-8 with cerebral palsy,
spina bifida or developmental delays.

Approved volunteers, known as makers, download the open-source designs, print the parts to
precise engineering specifications, assemble the chairs and submit them for inspection before
they are delivered to families.
Each custom chair takes 2-3 weeks to print and assemble and costs approximately $200 using
approved suppliers. The makers pay for the materials or receive donations, but the chairs are
provided at no cost to the families.

Cannon completed her third chair this summer and is starting her fourth one. “Both 3D printers
are running at my house right now,” she said. “I try to run them around the clock. Some prints
take a few hours; some take more. The back cushion on this chair took almost ten hours. The
child requested a lot of colors, so I printed in a rainbow design.”

Families apply through MakeGoodINC by providing information about their child’s height, weight and mobility needs. Experts determine the accessories and design features needed for each child. Once approved, the request appears on a national map of children waiting for chairs.

Makers can search the map and choose requests to fill that are close to them geographically. The
TMT website, 3D-Mobility.org, shows requests around the world. Almost 700 chairs have already been delivered to children in the past year, and over 1000 requests are still waiting to be claimed.
Cannon’s interest in 3D printing started when she purchased a printer for the CIT program at
Cleveland State with an award honorarium. She quickly decided to purchase a personal 3D
printer to make gadgets for her son. Now, she is bridging the gap for children who need mobility
chairs.

“Bambi is transforming lives through these 3D-printed mobility chairs,” said Dr. Sandra Godsey,
Dean of Business and Advanced Technologies. “This work exemplifies the power of applied
research and demonstrates how faculty expertise can drive meaningful change beyond the
classroom, improving quality of life and expanding opportunities for people around the world.”
A Bradley County native, Cannon graduated from Bradley Central High School, attended
Cleveland State and earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Lee University.
With a lighter teaching load this summer, Cannon hopes to produce five chairs before returning
to full-time course load this fall.

“It’s not just helping the child physically; it is helping them socially,” Cannon said. “With these
chairs, they are at the same level as their peers, making it easier to interact with friends and
siblings.

“I've always enjoyed technology and understanding the mechanics behind how things work. This
project allows me to combine that curiosity with the opportunity to help children.”

For more information about MakeGoodINC and TMT, visit 3D-Mobility.org.
For more information about the CIT program at Cleveland State, email cit@clevelandstatecc.edu
or call (423) 478-6224.