Tag Archives: special needs

Affordable 3D-printed Bionic Prosthetic declared Luminary Winner at the 2023 Red Dot Award: Design Concept

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Securing the Luminary Winner award at this year’s Red Dot Award: Design Concept in Singapore, the Lunet makes a bold promise of restoring functionality and dexterity in the hands of amputees… without breaking the bank.

Built with a low-cost design that features parametric adjustment for different hand types, and 3D printing to bring down the cost of production, Lunet looks to deliver a more accessible future that doesn’t rely on expensive medical prosthetics. Under the right conditions, Lunet can easily be manufactured even in one’s home using desktop 3D printers and can be assembled without any fasteners or extra components. In doing so, Lunet doesn’t just restore its wearer’s fingers, it restores their lives back, giving them the ability to grip and maneuver objects while also being able to point and gesture just like most people would.

Designer: David Edquilang

A 3D-printed prototype of the Lunet prosthetic

Lunet is a mechanical prosthetic that restores a degree of functionality for finger amputees by using 3D-printed appendages. The prosthetic is produced entirely through 3D printing, eliminating the need for a production line or industrial equipment. With the right 3D files, people can print, modify, and upgrade their own prosthetics for daily as well as situational use.

The prosthetic is made with a modular design and is crafted using parametric modeling, allowing for adjustments on the fly to suit a wide variety of hand types. The final model can be easily tweaked based on the ergonomics of the wearer, allowing for a custom-made solution that fits the user’s hands and needs perfectly. “Produced entirely through 3D printing, Lunet can be manufactured quickly at a low cost and personalized in CMF to the user’s stylistic preferences,” says David Edquilang, a design student at the University of Houston.

The prosthetic features mechanical linkages that can be controlled by flexing your hand. The fingers work by using a novel, robust linkage mechanism that mimics the motion and flexibility of real fingers. The entire design features components that snap together and require zero metal fasteners or fixtures. With the help of a unique mechanism, a user-friendly modular design, and the ever-expanding accessibility of desktop 3D printing, Lunet empowers individuals with finger amputations to restore the functionality of their missing fingers. Remarkably, this innovative solution costs less than 1% of the price of existing commercially sold finger prostheses.

“Lunet is not just a sci-fi looking concept, it’s real and it works; and will be released online to everyone completely for free as an open-source design. This way, Lunet can do the most good, helping as many people as possible,” David told Yanko Design, moments after being awarded the Luminary Winner of this year’s Red Dot Award. “I believe that good design should not be exclusive only to those that have enough money to afford it. Design is about solving problems, helping the fellow human.”

Click here to view the Best Of Best Winners from this year’s Red Dot Award: Design Concept.

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This keyboard-like device uses visually impaired person’s sense of touch to deliver smartphone features

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In an impressive stride toward innovation for special needs, Moadream – dedicated to enhancing the lives of the visually impaired – has unveiled an updated version of its keypad-based smartphone-like device for the visually impaired. Seamlessly marrying form and function, the new device, dubbed Matrix5, boasts an array of features and textures designed to cater to the user’s unique needs.

The defining characteristic of the Matrix5 lies in its ability to facilitate multi-dimensional communication through physical touch. Serving as much more than a conventional keypad, the Matrix5 opens doors to a world of possibilities.

Designer: Areum Gu

Matrix5 not only allows phone calls but also boasts a microphone, speaker, and even volume control. Its ergonomic design ensures a comfortable and secure one-handed grip, aligning with the experience of using smartphones sans a visual display.

The device’s sleek, refined, and textured form factor speaks about its meticulous attention to detail, while its every facet has been thoughtfully crafted to cater to both practicality and beauty. Its curved outline enhances holding comfort, making every interaction an effortless delight.

The left side is equipped with a thermal sensor, intuitively located where both thumbs would be naturally placed. On the opposite side, a triangular embossment offers tactile orientation, aiding the user in effortlessly navigating the device. In the center lies a spacious touchpad, a hub of multifunctionality that adapts to diverse user needs.

The interesting new device is tailored to enhance the capabilities of those who are blind and find it difficult to interact with traditional phone. The heightened sense of touch, referred to as ‘taction,’ is finely developed in the visually impaired compared to the average person. This means that users can accurately perceive each function through touch, transforming the Matrix5 into an intuitive extension of themselves.

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This Wearable Helps Visually Impaired People Make And Receive Online Payments

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The minute you sit and dissect our world and how much of it relies on an innate visual understanding of things, is the minute you realize how unfriendly the world is for the visually impaired. Credit cards don’t come with braille markings, and QR codes are innately visual, and require cameras that are controlled visually too… So how would blind people make payments or receive money from friends or family? Technology seldom designs itself for the minority, which is why devices like Shimmer really make a difference. A winner of the iF Design Award, Shimmer is a neck-worn contactless payment terminal that allows visually impaired people to make and accept payments. The device comes with a braille keyboard, an easy-to-activate and user-friendly camera, and a screen that displays a QR code to facilitate accepting payments.

Designer: Hefei LCFC Information Technology

A purpose-built device made especially for the visually impaired, the Shimmer sits around its user’s neck, letting them spend or receive money without needing traditional solutions that aren’t accessible to them. The device comes with a handy design that features a braille keypad on one end, and a screen on the other. A parting line running along the middle allows you to separate the upper and lower halves to reveal a camera too. The camera helps scan QR codes and make payments, while the display shows a QR code of its own while receiving payments. The braille keypad also has a built-in fingerprint scanner to help authenticate payments too, making it easy and secure to use.

“Mobile payment is very popular in Asia, but the current most common method of using a smartphone is not friendly to the blind as it requires screen reading software, which is cumbersome to operate and potentially exposes private data,” say the designers at Hefei LCFC Information Technology. The Shimmer helps these people keep up with the technological requirements of urban life in today’s world, because online payments need to be overwhelmingly inclusive.

The Shimmer makes some really clever design decisions to help the visually impaired stay up-to-date with current technology. For starters, it comes with a beautifully sleek design and a metallic finish that lends the wearer a keen sense of style. The handheld unit of the Shimmer is easy to use, with a braille keyboard and fingerprint sensor that’s virtually foolproof, and a hideaway camera that adds another layer of security. The Shimmer’s band straps around your neck and comes with built-in earphones too, allowing the user to get audio confirmations of payments made or received!

The Shimmer is a Winner of the iF Design Award for the year 2022.

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Sony launches PlayStation 5 Access Controller with highly customizable design for gamers with disabilities

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Briefly teased at CES 2023 this year, Sony finally lifted the cloth on the PS5’s Access Controller, designed for gamers with limited mobility. Previously known as Project Leonardo, this highly customizable controller was formally launched today, on World Disability Day, marking Sony’s commitment to making gaming more inclusive.  The Access Controller is more than a conventional controller – it’s a sophisticated, customizable accessibility controller kit, created in collaboration with accessibility experts. Sony’s intention is to enhance the gaming experience, particularly for players with disabilities.

The Access Controller’s announcement precedes what is believed to be Sony’s major summer event (given that E3 was canceled this year). We’re expecting to hear of new game titles and hardware announcements during this event, including the highly anticipated handheld version of the PS5 and possibly a PS5 Pro with liquid cooling.

Designer: Sony

With a highly customizable accessibility-focused design, the Access Controller can be used independently, or alongside Sony’s DualSense controller, giving people a wide range of possible use-cases. The controller comes with a disc-shaped design, surrounded by large, interchangeable, easy-to-press keys (as well as a central key) that can be custom-mapped, with easy-to-change disc-shaped tags on all of them for reference. A modular, adjustable joystick on one side acts as the user’s navigation input, like the joystick seen on most controllers.

The Access Controller design comes in collaboration with various accessibility experts, who helped create a controller that isn’t just easy to use, it also encourages longer gaming without feeling any fatigue. The controller offers button caps that come in a variety of shapes and designs, including pillow, flat, wide flat (covering two sockets), overhang (ideal for small-handed players, placed near the center), and curved (pushed from the top or pulled from the bottom) form factors.

To help players keep track of button assignments, the Access controller includes swappable button cap tags. It also offers versatility in positioning, as it can be laid flat, rotated, or attached to an AMPS mount or tripod. Additionally, the distance of the analog stick from the controller can be adjusted as per the player’s preference.

The controller works wirelessly, and sports a USB-C port for charging it or even using it in wired formats. Additionally, four 3.5mm inputs located around its sides let players integrate their own specialty switches, buttons, or analog sticks.

The launch of this controller brings new possibilities to the PS5 console, making the world of gaming more accessible. This represents a step towards gaming that caters to every player’s unique needs, further leveling the playing field. We’ve also seen similar efforts on the accessibility front from Microsoft, who unveiled their Xbox Adaptive Controller a few years ago, and even from startup Augmental, who launched their tongue-powered MouthPad wearable controller last month.

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This ‘Trackpad For Your Mouth’ lets people with limited mobility use their tongues to control cursors

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Putting the edge of computing at the tip of your tongue…

Meet MouthPad, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Designed by the folks at Augmental (a spin-off of the MIT Media Lab), the MouthPad is a Bluetooth-powered mouthpiece that lets anyone control electronic appliances with their tongue. A touch-sensitive panel sits against the roof of your mouth, allowing you to use your tongue as a finger of sorts to navigate interfaces. Tongue taps are registered as left clicks, while mouth gestures like pursing your lips (pouting duckface, for the Millennial and Gen Z readers) registers a right click. Through the MouthPad, individuals can now perform a variety of tasks with just their tongues. These tasks include sending emails, illuminating a room, enhancing photographs, and even engaging in video games. Additionally, Augmental guarantees that the mouthpiece’s sleek design will not impede speech, allowing users to communicate verbally with ease while wearing the device.

Designer: Augmental

Every year, nearly half a million people suffer a spinal injury globally. The effects of these can be as complex as losing all mobility from your neck down, leaving you with just your mouth to communicate as well as control devices. Up until now, devices like the QuadStick have been the standard, with a joystick that you bite down on and control with your mouth. The MouthPad offers a much more discreet and nuanced input method, turning your tongue into an 11th finger that can be used to move cursors and interact with interfaces. The tongue is a uniquely nimble and flexible organ. Touted as one of the strongest muscles in the body, the tongue’s muscular system is complex, allowing it to move in a variety of directions, and making it a perfect organ to control the MouthPad.

The MouthPad is an intraoral interface no sleeker than a pair of invisible braces. Designed to fit onto your palate, the MouthPad has a surface that responds to touch, letting you control it with your tongue in the same way you would use your finger on a trackpad. The electronics rest within a 3D-printed brace made from dental-grade resin, with a battery unit and SoC located on the side, sitting between your teeth and your inner cheek. All the electronics are enclosed within the resin, so they never interact with saliva.

The saliva, however, does present a unique challenge. If you’ve ever tried using your phone with wet fingers, you know that it’s close to impossible. The water interferes with the touch-input, registering all sorts of wrong inputs. The Augmental team, however, mentions that this ‘wet touchpad’ is smart enough to mitigate the effects of the saliva-coated tongue, using machine-learning to accurately register input.

Bespoke-designed for the wearer, the MouthPad fits snugly into the user’s mouth, with a design that feels comfortable enough to be worn for hours at an end. It doesn’t need any software to run, working quite like a Bluetooth mouse, and is compatible with all popular desktop and mobile platforms. The battery gives it 5+ hours of continuous use, and once done, the MouthPad can be kept back in its case which doubles as its charging station.

“As our lives become increasingly intertwined with technology, and the world expands from the physical to the digital, it’s more important than ever to ensure that everyone has equal access to control inputs and new interfaces,” says Tomás Vega, Co-Founder and engineer at Augmental. The company developed and tested prototype units on people with limited mobility and quadriplegia with great success and a fairly positive response, and are now looking to also extend the MouthPad’s use to ‘hands-busy’ scenarios such as surgeons, gamers, astronauts, lab technicians, and factory-line workers. The MouthPad is currently available to potential buyers in the US, who can sign up to be on the waitlist.

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Walking aid for the elderly comes with a box for carrying their furry friends

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Humans seem to be wired to be social animals, and that is sometimes a difficult problem for certain people. Loneliness affects everyone, but the pain can become more acute for people who are more advanced in age and who find it hard to develop new relationships because of limits to their mobility. Pets have become a solution for some of the elderly folk, but that, too, comes with its own puzzles to solve. People advanced in age are often advised to still go outside as long as they are able to, but they are hesitant to leave their furry friends at home as well. Solving multiple related problems can be a daunting task, but this walker concept pulls it off in a way that is both simple and effective.

Designer: Feng Chang

There are definitely plenty of walking aid designs, some even serving multiple functions. Some are just a step above crutches that you have to lift to move forward, while others come with wheels that increase mobility at the expense of some stability. Some come with small seats for the user, and others have baskets to hold their things. This particular walker concept combines some of these to present a more agile yet safe aid that has room for your pet when you go out.

The most conspicuous part of this walker is the large box that serves as your pet’s mobile home. You can simply slide the door on top to let the little furry friend in or out, or you can keep it close so that they don’t jump out suddenly. Of course, there are vents that allow the pet to breathe easily while comfortably confined in there.

The walking aid itself has a few aspects that help it rise about common designs. The handle, for example, travels in almost all directions, giving the user the freedom to grip it any way they prefer. There’s a brake button underneath the handlebar that will prevent the user from falling over or sliding. The front wheels also have LED lights above them that can be recharged via a USB-C slot on the opposite side, offering additional safety, especially in darker areas.

This walking aid concept hits two birds with one well-designed stone to help make elderly lives a bit more enjoyable and meaningful. It offers a convenient way for them to bring their beloved pets with them for a walk while also providing mobility and safety for themselves. And while the walker is primarily designed for very old people, anyone with limited mobility and a small pet can still benefit from this idea, at least if it ever becomes a real product.

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This hearing aid’s sleek redesign turns the medical device into a fashion wearable

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“Medical devices don’t need to feel like a burden. Glasses are cool, so why can’t hearing aids be too?”

The spectacles are a stellar example of a medically corrective device that’s successfully transitioned into being an object of haute fashion. The pandemic saw a similar treatment to N95 face masks too, but for the most part, medical devices aren’t designed to ‘look good’. They’re either designed to be invisible (like those invisible braces that keep popping up in Instagram’s ads), or have such a medical-forward design that they actually end up deterring people. Nobody likes showing off their asthma inhaler or nebulizer, and people would much rather prefer a stylish walking stick over a pair of crutches.

Hearing aids fall within that domain too, with most people agreeing that they have a design that can attract unwanted attention or sympathy, even though the people wearing them would just like to live a normal lifestyle. Designed to look modern rather than medical, the Overtone hearing aids are just about as stylish as high-fashion TWS earbuds. They sit comfortably around your ear, with a minimal design that features a small ear clip and a metallic disc that looks almost like a Neuralink implant.

Designers: Nick Morgan-Jones and Gray Dawdy (Overtone)

The Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids work to enhance your listening powers while being ‘unapologetically visible’. The individual earpieces hook to each ear, and pair with your smartphone to let you set up your hearing profile. Once configured, the Overtone earpieces let you clearly listen to sounds around you, while Bluetooth connectivity allows you to take calls or listen to music/watch videos through the earpieces themselves.

The Overtone was created by Berlin-based designers Nick Morgan-Jones and Gray Dawdy, who wanted to uplift hearing aids to a new fashion standard. “We’re building the hearing equivalent of designer eyewear,” said Morgan-Jones. To that very end, the Overtone has a design that feels minimal and universal. The transparent material and stainless steel details borrow directly from eyewear, while the overall design is made to augment your appearance by making you look like you’re from the future.

The Overtone is currently under development, with a waitlist open for people looking to buy their own pair of hearing wearables. The devices come with a 24-hr battery life on a full charge, and ship with a charging case that gives them an additional 36 hours of use.

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Self-wearing shoe concept automatically opens and closes thanks to a clever low-tech shape memory alloy spring

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Designed to look like the spiritual lovechild of the Nike Adapt self-lacing shoes and the Nike GO FlyEase hands-free shoe, this proof-of-concept footwear design from Jeff Shen hides a Nitinol (Nickel-Titanium Alloy) spring in its outsole. Known for its shape-memory properties, the spring can be made to expand and contract, allowing the footwear to open or close around your foot! No laces, no hands, no problems!

Unlike the Nike Adapt that comes with sensors, motors, and batteries, Shen’s shoes (titled ‘Heaven’s Door’) use a much more ingenious low-tech system that doesn’t require all those bells and whistles. The shoe’s simple lacing/unlacing mechanism relies on a wireless charging mat that helps heat the Nitinol spring, causing it to expand and the shoe to open. Slip your foot in and step off the mat and the Nitinol spring begins cooling and returning to its original shape, causing the shoe to constrict securely around your ankle.

Designer: Jeff Shen

The Heaven’s Door has a unique design style that combines the close-toe design of a shoe with the open-ish ankle aesthetic of a slip-on sandal. The shoes have a leather body, punctuated by an elastic strap that runs along the side, connecting the rear flap to the main shoe. A rubber outsole hints at comfortable outdoor use in an urban environment, while hiding the springs away in a recessed channel running along the length of the shoe. Although remarkable in their automatic opening/closing abilities, the shoes don’t try to look futuristic – because they are not. Unlike the Nike Adapt that have an undeniable sci-fi backstory, the Heaven’s Door is simply a footwear concept with a clever idea driven by material science. It’s a seemingly normal-looking shoe with an incredible trick up its sleeve… or down its outsole.

For Shen, the shoe’s design required a lot of trial, error, and prototyping (you can read his entire case study on his portfolio website). Shen played with straight and coiled Nitinol elements, toyed with the sole’s design, the opening and closing mechanism, and even experimented with finding the right place to add the elastic band to prevent the shoe’s rear flap from deforming.

At the footwear’s heart is its simple low-tech opening and closing mechanism that relies on a wireless charging mat (keeping any and all tech out of the shoe itself to ensure a longer lifespan and the ability to be entirely resistant to water). The mat connects to a coil hidden in the shoe’s outsole, which then heats up to 70°C, causing the Nitinol spring to loosen and a set of expansion springs under the heel to pull on it, releasing the shoe’s rear flap backward almost like a drawbridge. This only lasts as long as the shoe is on the wireless mat. Step off it and the Nitinol cools back and begins assuming its original shape, pulling the rear flap shut.

What the Heaven’s Door shoe does is cleverly eliminate any need for tech components to be present in the shoe. This helps bring down the footwear’s price while still giving it its signature feature. It also means no chances of planned obsolescence, or parts accidentally failing. Even if things DO fail, the shoes can still be worn and removed manually, using the pull tab at the back of the footwear.

Ultimately, the shoe aims at appealing to everyone thanks to its clever, universal design… but just like with Nike’s GO FlyEase hands-free footwear, Shen designed his concept keeping the disabled in mind. Shen used the term “Enclothed Cognition” to describe most disability-focused fashion found in today’s world. “It refers to the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer’s psychological processes”, Shen explained. “Not being able to put on shoes by oneself and constantly realizing the fact that they dress in a disabled look is devastating on the user experience and self-esteem.”

Aside from being a clever, accessible, truly hands-free, and low-tech self-wearing shoe, the Heaven’s Door footwear concept also destroys the notion that disabled fashion should look any different from regular fashion. The self-wearing shoes have a uniquely contemporary style that appeals to a broader populace. Or should I say popu-laceless!?

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This strangely shaped cutting board was designed for people with limited mobility

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I always argue that good design shouldn’t be measured by how many people it’s benefitting, but rather by the nature of the problem posed to the people. Handicapped people and people with motor impairments make up just a small fraction of humanity, so products that help them overcome daily tasks are arguably and measurably better than products that help solve problems for the masses. The ‘Bulge Cutting Board’ is one such product, designed for people with limited hand mobility.

I’m sure you’ve never tried chopping vegetables with one hand, but there are a lot of people who have no other option. “People with motor impairments, such as the absence of a hand or their limited usability, are often dependent on aids that are more reminiscent of tools and are far from any aesthetics”, says Germany-based designer Jon Starck, who created the Bulge Cutting Board. Designed with a set of ‘hillocks’ that somewhat randomly cover the board’s surface, the Bulge Cutting Board enables single-handed chopping and cutting. The bulges help trap and stabilize food while you chop them, preventing them from rolling or shifting and enabling you to go through the experience with just one hand.

Designer: Jon Starck

“The elevations of different sizes and distances from each other allow fixing various foods for processing. They provide support when cutting, smearing and transporting”, says Starck.

Bulge is a rare example of a product that serves a smaller audience, but serves them well. The design isn’t ‘universal’, but caters to a universal need for a marginalized audience. Perfect for people with limited use of their hands, the Bulge Cutting Board gives them the control they need as they pursue an independent life! Pairs rather wonderfully with this ‘knife for the visually impaired‘!

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Textured buttons help the visually impaired understand what colored clothes they’re wearing

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Just because you have a visual impairment doesn’t mean you can’t look good! These textured buttons allow the wearers to understand the colors of their clothes simply by touching them. With a little practice and guidance, they can then create color palettes and combinations that allow them to look good and highlight their fashion-forward personality!

Dubbed the HUEPIN, these uniquely designed buttons help the wearer understand what color clothes they’re wearing. All they really have to do is attach/sew the right buttons to the clothes once they’ve been bought. Once the entire wardrobe’s cataloged and color-coordinated, wearers can easily ‘feel colors’ to help them choose their outfits efficiently and tastefully. The HUEPINs come with specific shapes to indicate colors, and have wavy textures to help the wearer understand how bright or faded the color is. Wearers can then create pairings of contrasting colors, monochromes, triads, or a wide variety of other styles. With a little practice and help, visually-impaired wearers can easily dress their best despite their impairments! Rather wonderful, isn’t it??

The HUEPIN is a winner of the iF Design Talent Award for the year 2022.

Designers: Ang Yong Jun, Huang YuChen, Lai LiWen, Chu Pin Yan

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