13-Year-Old Spends 300 Hours 3D Printing a Custom Wheelchair for a Toddler

August 10, 2026

A 13-year-old boy could have spent his summer doing what many kids his age do, but instead, Zac Waters spent nearly 300 hours using his 3D printing skills to build something that could make a little girl’s life better.

Zac Waters / Courtesy: Charlotte Waters

Waters, from Lehi, Utah, became fascinated with 3D printing after watching a YouTube channel about the technology. But he wanted to do more than simply make cool things.

He discovered MakeGood, a nonprofit that creates 3D-printed assistive devices for people with disabilities, and found the perfect way to combine his passion with his desire to help others.

His summer project was a custom wheelchair designed for a 21-month-old girl.

Waters spent roughly 300 hours designing, printing, testing, and assembling the chair. He also made sure it included features that could make a real difference for the toddler and her family.

The wheelchair has pink accents because pink is the girl’s favorite color. It also includes a removable cupholder and tray table, along with a space on the back where heavier medical equipment can be stored.

The footrest and headrest can be adjusted as she grows, while the straps are made from soft, flexible material for added comfort.

For Waters, the reason behind the project was simple.

“It combines my two favorite things in life: 3D printing and helping people in need. It just makes sense!”

Waters said his favorite part of 3D printing is putting all the individual pieces together, and this project gave him plenty of that. He also credits his family for supporting him throughout the process and helping him work through his ideas.

His grandmother, Charlotte Waters, hopes the experience will stay with him long after the wheelchair is delivered.

“We hope he always remembers that the greatest legacy anyone can leave is to make someone else’s life better,” she said. “His age does not define his ability to make a difference. His character does.”

That may be the biggest lesson in Zac’s project.

He is only 13, but he has already discovered something many people take much longer to learn: a talent becomes even more meaningful when you use it to help someone else.

Waters hopes to pursue “something techie” when he grows up and plans to continue developing his 3D printing skills so he can help even more people in the future.