Earlier this year, we announced our quest to construct a 2.0 version of our portable gaming kiosks, GO Karts (Gamers Outreach Karts)! Since our original announcement, and the release of our digital renderings, we’ve been working directly with a U.S. based manufacturing company to create a new GO Kart that is entirely and truly designed for our purpose. When the process is complete, we’ll be in a position to build way more GO Karts, way more efficiently – which means way more hospitalized kids will have access to recreation!
In the short-run, revising our manufacturing process means we’ve paused GO Kart deliveries until we’re ready to roll out the new generation of units this coming Fall. For the time being, all funds raised in support of Project GO Kart are going towards our first batch of units as we move closer to construction. The wait however, will certainly be worthwhile. In this first batch alone, we’ll be able to build a larger quantity of GO Karts than we’ve ever built in the program’s entirety. In the next few years, we hope to construct many, many more GO Karts for hospitalized children. The time we’re now taking to improve our process will greatly contribute towards scaling the program.
With all that said, we’re excited to share our third build update as we move closer towards rolling out the next generation of GO Karts!
Last week, we were able to assemble a prototype unit of GO Kart 2.0! Our manufacturing partners have spent the last number of weeks designing, molding, and fabricating each component. Seeing everything assembled for the first time was truly exciting!
Constructing a prototype unit is a vital part of manufacturing. Through the prototype, it’s possible to assess proportion, scale, and generally discuss various aspects of a product which may need changed prior to producing a final unit.
The prototype isn’t crafted with the same medical-grade materials which will be used in the final unit. In fact, there are a number of added-materials in the prototype (steel components) which won’t exist when we take steps towards making comprehensive plastic molds. For the sake of the prototype, crafting a GO Kart with varied materials allows us to cheaply produce a single unit to assess structural integrity, proportions, and paint application.
Once we’ve finished tinkering with the prototype, we’ll be able to start making our first batch of new GO Karts, which will be deployed in hospitals across the country! Our current expectation is to begin manufacturing these units in the Fall, with the first deliveries happening at some point mid-December. We’ll keep you posted on our progress as we move closer to rolling out the next generation of GO Karts!
We’d also like to send a special thanks to BenQ and Xbox for providing us with hardware for the prototype. Much appreciated, friends!
Interested in supporting this program, or even building a GO Kart of your own? Check out our Donate page to learn how you can help!
