Philips EasyGrip

Industrial design project up to engineering drawings and product compliance

Challenge

To design a reaching aid for elderly people using engineering analysis and holistic design processes.

Grippers serve as a reaching aid for elderly people with mobility limitations, but market ready grippers do not cater to the needs of elderly people. A well designed gripper will enable them to carry out daily tasks independently, especially when living in extended-family households is becoming less common.

Approach

Tackling the challenge as an engineering design project from user requirements through to final prototype and manufacturing. This includes:

1. Gathering insights from primary research

2. Assessing product opportunities in the market

3. Analysis and calculations for performance requirements

4. Product development and CAD

5. Production ready data package

Solution

EasyGrip is a motorized gripper which grips objects firmly for users with weak grip strength. To reduce physical strain on the user's wrist, EasyGrip is equipped with an arm rest. The controls have been designed to be simple and intuitive, operating with a single button.

Concept Sketching

Sketches were made to explore different possible concepts, mechanisms, and form factors.

Finite Element Analysis

Finite element analysis provides an effective way to assess product performance to allow quick failures. Here, the grabber must be able to grasp an object weighing 1.5 kg at the claw while gripping the handle.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly

The subassemblies were designed with ease of assembly and widescale manufacturing methods in mind.

Physical Prototyping

To explore the effect of adding wrist support for lifting heavier object, we created a physical prototype using a purchased grabber. We were able to determine the optimum position and size of the support through user testing.