A Saskatchewan man who suffered a brain injury as a result of a car crash is getting into the world of 3D printing, hoping that his creations can help others. Nicolas Vaagen is working to reinvent himself with a meaningful project that could help others with adaptive technology. “You can build a variety of devices. The only thing that’s restricting you is your imagination,” Vaagen told CTV News. He makes products using his 3D printer. They are assistive devices that help people with disabilities. “I can create any device that would fit in that 3D printer box so I can create those wide range of devices, like little gizmos and gadgets,” he said. He was a computer science student at the University of Saskatchewan, having completed three years. However, a car crash in 2020 left him with a brain injury and limited use of his right side. He didn’t let that keep him down. One of his devices helps people focus when reading from a book or paper. “It allows you to track down word by word and keep your place on the page,” Vaagen said. Another one of his products helps people with mobility issues hold playing cards. It’s a tiered stand to hold cards. “It makes the cards very visible and relatively easy to organize, and that is important for people,” he said. Vaagen hopes seniors’ homes or other groups will reach out to him about this product because he says his connections are limited. “I’m looking for individuals that have needs for the devices, and I want to build them for them, but it’s hard to connect with the individuals that have that need,” he said. He’s invested some of his own money and he also got a grant for part of the cost of his printer from the group “Makers Making Change,” which is a national organization that assists people with disabilities. “We’re all about connecting volunteer makers to people with disabilities who need low cost, assistive tech,” Courtney Cameron, one of the organization’s regional managers, told CTV News. The group has photos on their website of 200 assistive devices that can be made by people like Vaagen. “Things that could be 3D printed could be used to help somebody, open a bottle of water, and it could go as high-tech as joysticks for adaptive gaming or computer mouses that you use with your mouth,” Cameron said. Vaagen is also developing an adaptive keyboard, which could be custom to any gaming device, which is fitting, he says, because gaming is one of his interests. “I’ve always been interested in technology, and this is perfect because it allows me to use both my soldering and also, I can use my software expertise,” he said. Vaagen’s products are relatively inexpensive, which he says isn’t usually the case with adaptive devices. The other advantage of his creations is that they are made locally at his Warman, Sask., home. For Vaagen, the endeavor isn’t about making money but more about making his life purposeful. Vaagen can be reached at nicolasvaagen@gmail.com.
