In part one of our two-part video series “Bicycle Lessons,” we were introduced to Jimmy Wilson, a kid whose biggest wish is to be able to ride a bike BMX-style, despite having been born without fingers on his left hand. To help Jimmy’s cause, Intel introduced Peter Binkley of Enabling the Future, a global community of volunteers who help each other design and create prosthetic devices, to Jeremiah Smith, a pro BMX biker. Smith would provide Binkley with some much needed insight into what sort of demands the prosthetic hand would need to satisfy, in order for Jimmy to really ride effectively.
In part two, which you can watch above, Binkley and Smith get down to work. After a series of video calls, Binkley takes all the information he gathers from Smith and applies it to his revolutionary design. Using an Intel-powered device, Binkley designs a prototype that he then brings to life with a 3-D printer.
Now, it’s time for the moment of truth: for Jimmy to get on his bike and test the device out. That’s not to say Smith or Binkley expect things to go perfectly right away. “It’s all about trial and error,” Smith says, “and just going for it.” For Jimmy, like for all of us, the biggest failure would not be falling off his bike, but not having the opportunity to ride it in the first place. “It’s huge to learn how to fall,” Smith says. “The not knowing part—it’s the scariest part.”
In the end, this project is not just about Jimmy. Binkley’s design is a prototype that will continue to be improved upon and perfected, and his cutting edge technology will ultimately become something that will help literally thousands of other kids who want to ride their bikes too. But it all starts with one idea, one partnership, and one kid in need.
To see more, be sure to check out the conclusion of “Bicycle Lessons” in the video above.
