Hi, I’m Brennen! I lead the 3D Printed Assistive Technology Program for WATAP, providing free 3D-printed assistive devices and resources to Washington state residents. I work to connect engineering, medicine, and the disability community, primarily through open-source design. You can learn more about WATAP’s wider mission at watap.org.

With over 25 years of hands-on maker experience, I’ve been exploring tools and materials since my childhood. My technical background includes time on a U.S. Army research and development team, undergraduate research with the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, and five years specializing in FDM (fused deposition modeling) 3D printing. Today, part of my time is spent growing an assistive technology maker network, connecting local student groups with continental and global maker communities so that no assistive design request has to wait on a single person’s schedule. See the collaborations page for who’s involved.

Where I share my designs

Additional job responsibilities

A secondary part of my job is research work with CREATE, the University of Washington’s Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences, funded by a Kren Engineering-based Medicine Initiative (KEMi) grant separately from the assistive technology program. My piece of it is finding a more accessible documentation standard for makers and users of assistive technology. I also spend time building out local maker partnerships so custom design requests don’t queue up behind one person.

The partners, the funded project, and who contributed what are all described on the collaborations page.