Senior Otago Polytechnic product design students have volunteered to help develop innovative walking sticks for the visually impaired, by using a high-tech 3-D printer.
Andrew Wallace, a product design lecturer at the polytechnic School of Design, said students were helping in the project, with the Visual Impairment Charitable Trust Aotearoa (Victa), to design and produce the walking sticks.
The carbon fibre sticks have bright yellow markings which alert motorists to pedestrians with a visual impairment.
Mr Wallace said he had undertaken the initial design work, but students were also involved, and would check with stick users to learn where improvements could be made.
Ian McDowall, a third-year student, said it "definitely feels great'' helping to develop a health-related product that benefited people.
Another student, Robert Cox, said the project was "really rewarding''.
Mr Wallace said 3-D printing enabled them to produce "ready for market'' products, but without huge overheads or big budgets.
Using this technology, the polytechnic could help develop relatively "low-cost solutions'' that would make a big difference to people's lives, in the health field.
Use of 3-D printers meant it was more economic than traditional manufacturing methods to produce a small number of customised items, such as walking sticks.
