2014-2015 Odyssey Angels

Congratulations to Barrel of Makers from Wilmington, Delaware. Not only did this group come up with a way to help disabled students in the area to express their own creativity, the group fundraised, studied and taught STEM skills, plus used a ton of teamwork.

They learned how to build, use, and implement Drawbots so that disabled students could use them to create art. After fundraising for supplies, studying and building the machines, the team volunteered their time with students with disabilities and taught them how to use these unique tools.

Drawbots are hand-sized robots that can be easily controlled with a joystick to aid creative minds express themselves. People with disabilities can control the joystick comfortably, maneuvering the Drawbot over a flat surface to make a user’s ingenious image come to life. Drawbots also serve to foster the next generation of engineers, inventors, and makers.

This project embodies the Odyssey Angels ideal. The group worked effectively together and partnered with a local nonprofit organization to promote new technology and make a positive impact on individuals with physical and mental disabilities in the community. The Barrel of Makers project helped nurture creativity, individuality, and continues to be a positive and rewarding community project that has brought joy to individuals from the disabled community through creative art therapy. It also sparked interest in STEM education for future engineers, inventors and makers in Delaware.

Barrel of Makers saw a unique need in its community and gave a whole new group of students the ability to express their creativity. In doing so, the group opened up new avenues of creative thought and expression for those that could never have that experience before.

Here is a video the group made about its project: