Saturn Stand

Fall 2021

Design 1 - Project Description:

"In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) created a challenge for university students to redesign an everyday item to accommodate a specific disability group. In order to evaluate the outcomes, the AAPD will be hosting an expo in December where participants will showcase their design via a presentation to panelists... On the AAPD’s challenge announcement, you review the list of four available products and three specific populations that could be better served by modifying those products. The entire list of populations includes those who experience vision impairment, hand and wrist tendonitis, and cerebral palsy.

In this project, you will work in groups to adapt an existing product for a particular population of people with a physical impairment. The re-engineered product will have a new functionality that meets the needs of the specific population."

Our Design

My team decided to adapt the hand mixer to better serve those hand and wrist strength impairments. We focused on making the item easier and more comfortable to use in the kitchen. After lots of brainstorming, we chose to make a mixer stand that has a built-in gyroscope and spring-loaded gripping mechanism to house the bowl. This removes the need for the user to hold and steady the hand mixer as well as help maneuver and secure the bowl with little to no movement of the wrist and hands.