From the 12 finalists, the UW WOOF (Washington Open Object Fabricators) team took home the main prize of $100,000 which was used to further implement their ideas.
Their winning idea was enabling waste plastic (plastic bottles) to be used as a filament for 3d printing machines that can create new products.
WOOF TEAM Winners and Where are they now?
After winning the 3D4D challenge, Bethany Weeks, Matthew Rogge and Brandon Bowman have continued to work with WFH (Water for Humans), addressing the local issues in water and sanitation in Oaxaca, Mexico.
1. Bethany Weeks – Now an additive manufacturing (3D printing) focused engineer.
She is currently working in the new AM vertical of Boeing focusing on AM use in tool design as well as the Ambassador for the Seattle chapter of Women in 3D Printing.
Still, in her leisure time, stays up-to-date on 3d printing and additive manufacturing news and reads peer-viewed published studies.
2. Matthew Rogge – Continuously working on the RETR3D project which is an e-waste 3D printer that can make digital printing that can be explored as businesses opportunities from third world countries.
The finalists and their projects are listed below:
● Boris Kogan, Israel/US
Proposal: Robotic Greenhouse, to produce food in harsh environments.
● Climate Connected Benefit Society, ColaLights,
Edmund Bell-King and Cornell Jackson, UK
Proposal: Solar Lamps from used plastic Coke bottles, to replace costly and dangerous kerosene lamps in rural areas in India.
● The EN3D Project, JF Brandon, Canada
Proposal: 3D printed solar tracker source for sustainable solar electricity.
● Roy Ombatti, Kenya
Proposal: 3D printed shoes from recycled plastic.
● Just 3D Printing, Suchismita and Jayant Pai, India
Proposal: Providing young entrepreneurs and students access to 3D printers using material recycled from disused plastic bottles, in order to encourage innovation.
● Fripp Design and Research, Tom Fripp and Steve Roberts,UK
Proposal: Rapid and affordable manufacture of soft tissue prosthesis.