For the life of me I can’t come up with anything just simple. I think I am over thinking this assignment for school. The assignment is to build a simple device that would aid someone with a handicap to perform their job. In this case I have to come up with something that would help someone handicapped work on cars. Has to be simple enough to be made cheaply (cause i gotta build one for class)
It’s creative thinking for sure, I just think that I am overthinking it because of some of the crap I have to do on cars and can’t come up with just a simple tool or aid to help if I was crippled.
For example a guy in class is coming up with an arm glove (think powerglove lol) to hold screws and nails for a carpenter that has lost some use of his arm. etc
Yeah thats kinda the idea with the grippy thing, I’m just having a hard time saying like oh this is gonna help johnny with X handicap and this is how it will help him
As an industrial designer what you’ve described is basically my job. If I could offer any advice it would be a little bit of the process I go through (summed up).
First up is to do a little bit of research into your user. Base your design solution around a problem they have or would have if they were to work on a vehicle. Try to put your self in there position and see what the difficulties are…bad example: strap yourself into a chair to simulate partial paralysis.
From there, start concepting. If you get to a point where things are too complicated, start simplifying your design…often times the best solutions come from weeding down the complexities.
Yeah thats kinda the idea with the grippy thing, I’m just having a hard time saying like oh this is gonna help johnny with X handicap and this is how it will help him
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Just think about someone with MS. They need help with just about everything. Think of something you do everyday and go from there.
I was in a wheelchair for about a month. One of the things that was very frustrating was not being able to reach things. getting access to things away from me was not possible. As I got stronger I could eventually stand and reach things, but at first when I couldn’t it was aggravating.
Working on a car form a chair just ain’t gonna happen. I think a chair lift/support would be high on my wish list. Something I could use to get more vertical and closer to the work. Even something like a long reach gripper is useless if you can’t see what you’re working on. You need to get close to your work. Plus it could serve double duty. If you can ambulate but have limited use of one or both of your arms, it could be a support. Imagine how many times you worked on a car and had to prop yourself up. If you have to use your good arm for that, you don’t thave another hand to work with.
I’m thinking of a support brace to hold you over your work whether it be a car or anything else. Something you could easily secure your legs in. Something you could easily get in and out of. One other pain about being limited in mobility is the inability to fasten straps or catches. It could assist you in standing up and then allowing you to remain in a comfortable position to do work. It should allow you to bend over the work area.
There are a lot of devices which are grippers and arm extensions, but I think this would be better.
Something simple and cheap…how about a tool and parts caddy? You could make it to hang or hook up to a wheelchair or whatnot. Have it hold the basics, as well as trays to hold parts of all sizes. You could also add a magnetic strip for small bolts and such. It isn’t really creative by any means, but simpler than some type of gripper. I’m sure it would be quick to make unless you went crazy with it.
whats that cartoon where the people are strapped into the suits and whatever they do the machine does build that shit someone in a wheelchair cant get close enough to work on your car strap on some gloves and a helmet and the machine does what you do and shows close up pictures into the VR helmet… That actually would be fucking pimp like shit micro surgeons use but for you car no more bumping your head on the hood just sit in the livingroom and work on the damn thing while drinking a beer
What about a tool belt for a wheel chair? Ive seen those magazine organizers for lazy boy chairs, Im sure you can retro something like that to hold tools on a wheel chair.
