[@treibere]

We are looking for a universal cuff to use with a computer stylus. Student prefers to have stylus resting over knuckles protruding from the dorsal side of his hand.

[@profx]

Hello @treibere,,

Here are some questions about the stylus holder.

 

1. Is the stylus perpendicular to the knuckles or parallel

2. Does the stylus have an adjustable length? 

3. Will this be universal for all students or specific? 

4. Is there a device weight concern? 

5. Is there undue stress on the wrist/hand? 

6. How long is the stylus?

7. What is the diameter of the stylus?

8. Is the stylus horizontal to the dorsal side of the hand or angled? 

9. Should the stylus be adjustable by angle? 

10. Is the stylus centered? 

11. What is the stylus for? Pointing or writing? 

12. What are the ease of use requirements for the stylus assembly? 

13. How far does the stylus extend past the knuckle point?

Thank you,

@profx Frank

[@treibere]

Hi Frank,

Great questions!  Sorry for delay, it took me a while to circle back to student and staff working with him to get answers to your questions.  I attached a picture of what the student is currently using to give you a better of idea of what we’re looking for.  I made it, and it works about 50% of the time. 

Adaptive-Stylus-1

Please let me know if you have additional questions since I wasn’t able to answer everything.

1. Is the stylus perpendicular to the knuckles or parallel? perpendicular (see photo)

2. Does the stylus have an adjustable length? It currently does not. The student uses it for their personal AAC device/iPad.  However, it might be nice to have something that could be used with different stylus’ (i.e. could swap out different length stylus’ for different needs).

3. Will this be universal for all students or specific? Specific to this student (for now)

4. Is there a device weight concern? The student currently uses flexible tubing called Andalus, which is very lightweight.  I would say weight is a concern to some degree, but what he uses now is almost too light.  Sometimes he doesn’t push hard enough to select an image on the iPad, so the stylus itself needs to be firm.

5. Is there undue stress on the wrist/hand? I’m not sure what you mean by this.

6. How long is the stylus?  The current stylus is approx 3.5″-4″

7. What is the diameter of the stylus? 1/4″

8. Is the stylus horizontal to the dorsal side of the hand or angled? horizontal 

9. Should the stylus be adjustable by angle? I don’t think so

10. Is the stylus centered? Not sure what you mean by this.

11. What is the stylus for? Pointing or writing? Pointing or selecting images on an iPad

12. What are the ease of use requirements for the stylus assembly? Student can have support swapping out stylus’

13. How far does the stylus extend past the knuckle point? It depends how the student is holding it, maybe 2″

[@profx]

Hello @Treibere,

Thank you for your patience. My students have taken your responses and we should be able to share images of their progress. This should be on Friday, pending any delay. We will then begin printing all of the concept models and then be able to take the next steps in the process (i.e- iteration, or delivery). There are 7-10 concept models, most use velcro for attachment and foam padding between the product and the student’s skin for comfort (I’ll communicate the material in case of any allergies, this could be something that is removed or not included). Some designs attach around the palm and others use the cuff of the wrist. You can try each to see what application works best for the student.

When printing the models, do you have a material preference? PLA or ABS are the two materials I have in my lab.

Talk with you soon.

@profx (Frank)

[@treibere]

Hi Frank,

This is so exciting!  I have never used Makers Making Change before, so I am thrilled to see what you all come up with.  Thank you for taking the time to design this for the student!  I don’t know much about materials made for printing.  The student does not have any allergies that we are aware of.  The current stylus is used with flexible tubing that the student can hold/grip on to with his palm, it’s very light weight.  So I’m thinking maybe ABS is a better material based on a quick web search, but you are the expert 😉

Erin

[@profx]

Hi Erin,

This is my first experience with Makersmakingchange also. My students have made some progress. I still have 4 more possible options. We have the first iterations done, and some tweaking is taking place. I think it would make sense to send you what we have, and then let the student try them, and pick out the one that works the best. We can then make any changes, and print the file in ABS.

We have a stylus for each product and some type of comfort pad. We do worry about the hook & loop rubbing on the inside of the thumb and outer edge of the back of the hand. We are trying to predict consumer issues. We also could not predict force applied to the the tablet and how much movement each device will provide.

Let me know if you would like to receive these in the mail this week, at least as a test for the student.

 

Talk with you soon!
Frank

[@treibere]

That sounds great!  I would love to test them out with the student and give feedback.  As an Occupational Therapist I am very conscious of skin concerns, so I can trouble shoot on my end or give feedback to you about what works/doesn’t work.  As we try them out, I can take pictures too if you think that would be helpful for your students.

[@profx]

Hi Erin,

 

Can you send me an email with the address to send the parts to? I’ll gladly take the support and details for materials that would work. I have asked my students to wear these all day and document any issues as well. So this will be a great help!

Frank

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