PROPOSAL
innovation space 2013/14 sponsored by CUbiC arizona state university
CONTENTS
team introduction the sponsor key information brainstorming concepts overview distriba lapitat aperio conclusion
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MEET THE TEAM / OPUS
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K ATIE MATHER
ROALDI JOCO
business expert
mechanical engineer
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SUNNY DAVIS
GARRETT NEUBAUER
graphic designer
industrial designer
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MEET THE SPONSOR / CUbiC
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The Center of Ubiquitous Computing at Arizona State University is an interdisciplinary research center focused on assistive, rehabilitative and healthcare applications.
Their mission spans three main areas of multimedia computing: sensing and processing; recognition and learning; interaction and delivery. These research areas have led CUBiC to make fundamental contributions in signal processing, computer vision, pattern recognition, machine learning, human-computer interaction and haptics.
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They have chosen to serve the needs of physically challenged individuals by empowering them with ubiquitous and pervasive technologies to enrich their lives. Even though the technology solutions that CUBiC develops are inspired for people with disabilities, they are fundamental, and pertinent to all the society, including the so called ‘able-bodied’ individuals.
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KEY INFORMATION
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THE PROBLEM
People with disabilities that utilize a wheelchair in their daily life face storage and productivity issues. It is important for them to have a place to store all their accessories such as cell-phone, water bottles, laptops, iPads etc. Opus is going to design a product that resolves those issues. We are aiming to design a product that satisfies customer needs, is made of sustainable materials, and has a market value. InnovationSpace and CUBiC discovered that people who use a wheelchair face various challenges on getting work done easily. The immediate space available to them to place and carry all their day-to-day accessories is very limited. The wheelchair functions not only their way of transportation but also as their workspace. In order to increase the productivity in a wheelchair the members of Opus have accepted the challenge to design a product to improve the lifestyle of individuals with disabilities who are confined to a wheelchair. 12
The product will be designed with some very important key points in mind: First, it will fulfill a need and product opportunity gap in the market. The market for the product is important as it needs to be appropriately marketable and profitable to sustain manufacturing. Without a product that satisfies a need people will not buy it. Sustainability is another goal of innovative design that Opus desires to incorporate into the product, it is important to responsibly design a product while paying attention to its entire product lifecycle. Finally, we hope to take a incorporate an element of biomimicry into our solution. At the projects end Opus will have produced an impressive product concept and business plan that we as a team can be proud of. 13
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WHO ARE THE USERS?
Our users are individuals who use power chairs due to paralysis in their legs as well as varying amounts of their upper bodies as the result of a wide variety of potential causes, although most would fall into the categories of illness or injury.
We aim to serve users with any level of paralysis in their upper bodies, but our focus is on users who have higher levels of disability, but still some arm function. Our users are between the ages of 20 and 50, and are active participants in the workforce and are also involved in various recreational activities outside of work.
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Thinking broadly, all of our users could be considered extreme users because they are all dependent on their power chairs for mobility. However, depending on the user’s level of disability, users with higher levels of disability might require more specialized power chairs to accomplish the same tasks, and in some cases, they rely on their power chair to perform functions beyond mobility alone.
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For example, users whose arms are paralyzed and can’t operate a joystick need different interface controllers such as the eye-gaze control or the head tilt to maneuver their power chair. Therefore, under these conditions, typical users would be users with lower levels of disability, while those with higher levels of disability would be considered extreme users.
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WHAT ARE THE USERS’ DEMOGRAPHICS?
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AGE
INCOME
Much like their personalities, our users belong to a wide range of demographics due to the all-inclusive nature of paralysis. However, for the purpose of our product, we are focusing on users between the ages of 20 and 50 with at least limited use of their arms who are in the workforce and are involved in a wide variety of activities. Understandably, the prevalence of power chair use increases significantly with age, so the majority of our users would be closer to the age of 50.
Their incomes vary wildly, and while some rely on government support to purchase their power chairs and accessories, others are able to pay for the most luxurious models on the market completely out-of-pocket.
EDUCATION
GEOGRAPHY
They also vary in their levels of education, but because our targeted user is active in the workforce, we can assume that our users have at least earned their high school diploma.
Geographically, we are initially focusing our efforts on users in our immediate area in the state of Arizona, but we hope to expand beyond this market alone and access users throughout the country.
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HISTORY OF WHEELCHAIR TECHNOLOGY
1655
1760
1894
1920
1932
The earliest found King Phillip of Spain image of a wheelchair. used this chair with
Parapelegic watchmaker Stephen
First wheelchair that resembles today’s
A U.S. patent was filed for a wheelchair
Herbert Eve and Harold
Chinese sarcophagus
Farler built this chair
design. Two large front wheels and one small in rear
with large rear wheels and a wicker seat
Following WW1, wheelchairs were built with wooden frames and adjustable armrests and footrests
A.D. 252
1595
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moving arm and leg rests
designed th folding whe
erest
d Jennings he first eelchair
1950
1952
1964
1975
1 9 8 0 ’s
1 9 9 0 ’s
Everest & Jennings designed the first powered chair with a motor
The first wheelchair games were held in England
The first Paralympic Games were held in Tokyo, Japan
Bob Hall completed the Boston Marathon
Revolution in lighter weight manual chairs for athletes
Revolution of power wheelchairs, control, styles, seating options
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EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS
Currently there are a variety of products that exist to accommodate people living with physical mobility impairment and limited use of bodily functions. However, there is room in the market for improvement regarding better incorporation of modern technologies and materials, and new product-opportunity-gap based products that specifically focus on aiding productivity for leisure purposes. Existing product solutions that are supposed to improve leisure-based productivity, organization, and accessibility is still pretty limited today here are some existing products.
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TYPES OF EXISTING PRODUCTS
UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ
Various iterations of lap desks with limited storage Wheelchair detachable drink holders Adjustable tablet computer or book holders and stands Height-adjustable and wheeled bedside tables Fabric-constructed storage pouches attached to wheelchairs
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PRO
they appear to appropriately address a problem and successfully aid the user in accomplishing that specific task.
CON
The majority of the product examples are not multiuse, meaning more resources are spent on a greater number of products to accomplish very individualized tasks.
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EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS
So many of these products are often very similar in design and mimic each other in their approach to how they aid users in accomplishing a task. Also, many of the products are very single function oriented and not really something that can be used for other tasks without modification that may risk damage to the product itself or even unintentionally place the user into an unsafe situation. There is opportunity here to develop more meaningful multiple-use products that can aid productivity within the confined space of a wheelchair.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MARKET
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The market for this product is not significantly large in numbers in comparison to other consumer markets; nevertheless, it is still a significant portion of the population. According to the US Census Bureau, 38.3 million Americans have a severe disability and 12.4 million Americans need assistance with one or more activities of daily living.
Furthermore, based on what we have discovered from our primary research, most of the products sold by our competitors do not sufficiently meet the needs of the users in terms of design, independence, and usability. In fact, most of the products available are not designed for all levels of disability or require the help of a caretaker to be effective.
However, what our market lacks in quantity compensates for in quality because virtually anyone who requires the use of a power chair would benefit from a product designed to make their daily lives and activities easier and more pleasant. Essentially, other than our direct competitors and users’ decision to rely on their own adaptations instead of purchasing our product, the other levels of competition are not very prevalent in this market.
Therefore, we predict that any product that affordably and effectively addresses relevant and significant problems faced by our users that are not being solved by existing products would be in very high demand within our market.
MAIN COMPETITORS
Maddak Trabasack Therafin SkiL-Care North Coast EZ-ACCESS AliMed All of these companies offer accessories for walkers, wheelchairs, power chairs specifically as well as products that can be used by anyone with disabilities. However, the product lines for each of these companies are extremely limited and spread out between a wide variety of needs and purposes.
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W H I T E S PA C E S I N T H E M A R K E T
There are many needs within our market that are not being adequately satisfied by existing products. Most of the products we have found currently available on the market serve a very specific and narrow purpose, cannot be used by users with higher levels of disability, and do not allow users to express their individuality. Furthermore, there are nearly no products that are
compatible with any type of power chair, and the few products in existence that can be used in tandem with a variety of wheelchairs and power chairs serve only one purpose, which is usually storage, and are not easily accessible to users and require the help of a caretaker for users with greater disabilities.
That being said, there is a great need for accessories that can function with any power chair, and potentially pieces of furniture, and can be easily used by users with nearly any level of disability. There is also a need for products that are multi-functional so that users can rely on a single accessory instead of crowding their chairs with different accessories to fulfill their needs.
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W H I T E S PA C E S
Products that can be used independently by people of nearly all levels of disability Universally compatible accessories for all wheelchairs and other pieces of furniture
Lastly, contrary to the current state of products on the market, users need a wide variety of choices for their accessories and their appearance so that they can better represent themselves and their personalities with their accessories.
Products that encourage selfexpression and individuality Products that increase user independence multi-functionality
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KEY SOCIAL ISSUES
There are number of societal issues within the world of people living everyday with varying degrees of paraplegia and other forms of mobility impairment that limit the affected individual’s freedom to and within the confines of a wheelchair. For the most part, our modern world is built and filled with things that are not necessarily accommodating to people living with limited mobility and bodily function. These non-accommodating things, and/or characteristics are often readily apparent and can be observed in almost any environment— ranging from an office space to a restaurant—as well as in most products designed to be used by fully able-bodied independent people. It is not rare that people living with limited mobility and bodily function are able to maintain a productive and healthy lifestyle that includes a balance between work and leisure.
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Being confined to a wheelchair does not change this basic human desire and need; unfortunately, it does come with limitations and inconveniences that hinder these activities. Luckily, there is a great amount of similarity and crossover in the fundamental function of work and leisure activities, meaning solutions pertaining to one category should ideally be easily adapted and implemented for the other—for example, a person confined to a wheelchair needs to have with them and access to things like any other person would; whether it be a cell phone, tablet computer, water bottle, or special eating and drinking utensils. It is important that people who are confined to a wheelchair with limited bodily function be able to live their life with a healthy balance of work and leisure without having to compromise their independence and enjoyment.
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BRAINSTORMING
PRODUCT OPPORTUNIT Y GAPS: BRAINSTORMING QUESTIONS
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How can we help individuals with their belongings- make them secure and accessible
How can we make it easier for users to use products not designed for their disability?
How can we provide more open and secure storage space on a wheelchair?
How can we design to help an individual reach every inch of the wheelchair?
What kind of solutions do animals use to carry things?
How can we make our product valuable to different markets?
How can we make it easier for users to use products not designed for their disability?
How can we protect the user?
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IDEA SKETCHES
After brainstorming, each team member sketched what they thought were the most promising ideas.
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IDEA BENCHMARKING
The top ten ideas sketched were then ranked for effectiveness of different criteria.
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NAMING
Once the top three product ideas were chosen, we brainstormed names for each.
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CONCEPTS
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CONCEPTS OVERVIEW
Our team goal was to come up with innovative products that improve the productivity of daily life for people confined to wheelchairs. With help from Casey Smitheran, representing our sponsor, CUbiC, we decided that the most effective need to address is storage space.
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All three of our proposed products improve storage capacity for the wheelchair user and achieve it in a way that is more accessible and convenient for their dexterity and mobility levels than any other similar products in the market today. Distriba, Lapitat, and Aperio all address these criteria in well designed ways.
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CONCEPT 1: DISTRIBA
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Distriba is a customized soft bag that easily straps onto the side of a wheelchair. It is equipped with front pockets for quick asses to frequently used essentials like phone, keys, and wallet and has a convenient side pocket for a water bottle. Distriba’s thin and broad design adds adaptable storage without bulk to the chair’s width. Users will enjoy this alternative to a rard to reach backpack, granting increased independance and security.
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PRODUCT SERVICE PITCH
Backpacks are one of the most common forms of portable storage used today amongst people in power chairs, usually residing behind the chair or on the user’s lap. Distriba is a more effective and convenient storage alternative for power chair users. Contrary to existing backpacks, Distriba is designed to attach to the armrest of any power chair by using smaller straps that fit the armrest more securely. Distriba features a side pocket for any size water bottle, front pockets for readily accessible smaller items, and larger storage sections within the main body of the bag.
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What makes Distriba unique is that it is more easily accessible and secure attached to the side of the chair and is wider than regular backpacks, and can carry more than existing armrest storage; meaning it can carry everything users need without the aggravation of keeping it on their lap or out of reach behind them. Users can also easily attach and detach it as needed, so they can use it when they need to and take it off when they don’t. Lastly, users don’t need to compromise their accessibility or maneuverability because the soft structure of the bag does not add significant width to the chair because of its broader design. 49
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LOGO WORK
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PRODUCT SPECIFICATION SHEET
D/W
Requirement
Responsibility
D
Provides storage space to carry items on a wheelchair
Design Team
D
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Geometry Width > 17 in. Height > 10 in. Expansion > 3 in. Storage space > 200 in²
Engineer
D
Forces Strap supports load of >5lb
Engineer
D
Kinematics Magnets seperate by < ¼lb force
Engineer
D
Ergonomics Cushion in straps thicknes > ½in.
Industrial Designer
D/W
Requirement
Responsibility
Materials W
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Materials used > 75% recycled Glow in the dark surface lasts > 5hrs
Industrial Designer Engineer
D
Safety Strap strength reliability > 99.99%
Engineer
W
Recycling Excess material > 90% recycled
Team
D
Cost Total cost of production < $30
Team
W D
Schedule Design finished before 2/15/2015 Prototype built before 4/15/2015
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Production Made in the U.S.A. 100% of product
Team Team
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PRODUCT SKETCHES AND RENDERINGS
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CONCEPT 2: L APITAT
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Lapitat is a re -imagined lap desk with lots of efficient storage space. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cushioned, non slip bottom rests comfortably on the wheelchair userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lap. The desk is easily opened with your hands or wrist by pushing the large button, so limited dexterity is not an obstalce. A tablet sleeve in the top panel allows for safe storage and better viewing angle when the lid is opened. Lapitat features a dual chamber storage system perfect for keeping essentials on demand and less used items below.
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PRODUCT SERVICE PITCH
In our consumer research we discovered that the storage needs of our users are not adequately met by existing products on the market. Many of the tools and products currently being used for storage are not secure, making belongings difficult and time-consuming to reach, and often limit user independence. Our proposed product, the Lapitat, resembles a basic lap desk with a cushioned bottom, but by pushing the large button at the bottom of the desk, the surface lifts up and reveals a sectioned storage compartment inside for frequently accessed items. If the user presses the adjacent smaller
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button the primary compartment will lift with the surface, keeping the items secure, and a secondary compartment becomes accessible. One of the Lapitatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most unique features is the surface of the desk, which contains a slot providing enough space for a smartphone or tablet to slide in from the left-hand side. This particular feature would allow users to interact with their electronic devices through the thin and transparent surface of the desk, eliminating the need to constantly retrieve them while also protecting their devices from potential spills, drops, and other forms of damage.
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LOGO WORK
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PRODUCT SPECIFICATION SHEET D/W
Requirement
Responsibility
D
Provides storage space to carry items on a wheelchair
Design Team
D
D
W
D
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Geometry Width > 11.8 in. Height > 7.9 in. Depth > 1.2 in. Storage Space > 100 in² Forces Push button < 1lb Supports load of > 5lb Energy (if neccessary) Power used > 75% is solar Kinematics Time to open cover 2s - 4s Spring stiffness conserved >5000 reps
Engineer
Engineer
Engineer
Engineer
D/W
Requirement
Responsibility
D
Ergonomics Cushion depth > 0.4 in Angle of tablet to horizontal 105°–110°
Industrial Designer Engineer
Materials W
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W
Materials used > 75% recycled Surface temperature 30°C – 40°C
Industrial Designer Engineer
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Recycling Excess material > 90% recycled
Team
D
Cost Total cost of production < $20
Team
W D
Schedule Design finished before 2/15/2015 Prototype built before 4/15/2015
W
Production Made in the U.S.A. 100% of product
Team
Team
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PRODUCT SKETCHES AND RENDERINGS
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CONCEPT 3: APERIO
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Aperio is a storage unit that fits comfortably on the wheelchairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arm rest. Its non slip top pushes back to reveal secure storage space for the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s everyday essential items. Easily detachable from the chair, Aperio can be placed on any flat surface to become a tablet stand and valet of necessities on the go.
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PRODUCT SERVICE PITCH
One common storage adaptation we’ve observed with many users is the use of the gap between the users’ legs and the armrest to carry laptops, tablets, and books. However, this solution cannot easily accommodate smaller items, and sudden stops or uneven terrain could make items fall and potentially break. Opus utilized this space to create more secure storage. Aperio consists of two components; a small basket and a sleeve. The basket sits atop the power chair’s armrest and can carry smaller objects including keys, phones, wallets, pens, eating utensils so they can be retrieved frequently.
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The sleeve is an extension of the basket that rests between the armrest and the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legs and provides stability to the basket while also serving as a storage unit for larger items. The upward-facing sleeve makes tablets and thin books readily available to users. Aperio is set apart from its counterparts because it does not add any width to the chair. Furthermore, no assembly, installation, or adjustment is required to use Aperio; users can simply place it on their armrest and go about their day. Aperio benefits users by granting the freedom to carry everyday necessities without sacrificing their mobility, time, or security of their belongings. 85
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LOGO WORK
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PRODUCT SPECIFICATION SHEET
D/W
Requirement
Responsibility
D
Provides storage space to carry items on a wheelchair
Design Team
D
Engineer
D
Forces Load supports load of > 7lb
Engineer
D
Energy (if neccessary) Power to charge tablet 100% solar
Engineer
D
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Geometry Stand Width > 11.8 in. Stand Height > 7.9 in. Stand Depth > 0.4 in. Storage Space > 100 in²
Ergonomics Angle of tablet from horizontal 105°- 110°
Engineer
D/W
Requirement
Responsibility
Materials
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W
Materials used > 75% recycled
Industrial Designer
D
Surface temperature 30°C – 40°C
Engineer
W
Recycling Excess material > 90% recycled
Team
D
Cost Total cost of production < $20
Team
W D
Schedule Design finished before 2/15/2015 Prototype built before 4/15/2015
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Production Made in the U.S.A. 100% of product
Team Team
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PRODUCT SKETCHES AND RENDERINGS
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CONCLUSION
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CONCLUSION
Team OPUS is committed to designing the most innovative and helpful product for our target clientele. Thank you for your consideration and feedback. We are confident that Distriba, Lapitat, and Aperio all solve huge problems for people in wheelchairs but can also be used and enjoyed by non handicapped users.
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