Web giant Google has promised to donate $20 million in funding through its non-profit Google.org arm to support nonprofits and charities using innovative technology to improve the lives of those with disabilities.
The communication came through a blog post written by Jacquelline Fuller, the Director of Google.org on Tuesday.
The tech giant announced the launch of the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities project. Google says the scheme is designed to support those living with disabilities, and in order to propel the development of technology which assists the disabled in their daily lives — such as high-tech prosthetics — the company plans to pour $20 million in funding research.
The Google Impact Challenge will seek out nonprofits and help them find new solutions to some serious “what ifs” for the disabled community, according to the blog post. The best of submitted ideas will be supported by the tech giant and given the chance to develop and scale up using the firm’s resources.
To kick off the open call for ideas, Google has awarded funding to two companies which focus on reducing the cost of prosthetic limbs and auditory therapy, which could eventually improve access to these technologies worldwide.
The Enable community has been awarded $600,000 to further the cause of open-source, 3D prosthetic limbs. While traditional prosthetics can cost thousands of dollars to fit, assemble and purchase, R&D in 3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the industry.
As an example, last year 3D printed prosthetics were used to replace limbs lost by children caught in the Sudanese war for as little as $100. Google’s funding will be used by the community — which uses 3D printers to design, assemble and fit 3D prosthetics for free — to advance the development of open-source 3D-printed upper-limb prosthetics.
Via ZDnet
