The Shelf-Helper
The Challenge
Students living in small temporary living spaces are often discouraged from using the kitchen because the majority of functional counter space is taken up by appliances, décor, mess, or other kitchen items. However, solutions like additional shelves and cabinets can be cumbersome, and require installation as well as a landlord’s approval. Over the course of ten weeks, our team of five set out to provide consumers with the flexible counter space options they desire.
The Solution
The solution to renter’s kitchen counter space needs lies in ‘The Shelf-Helper’. Featuring a lockable suction mechanism, three adjustable thick wooden shelves with gripped surfaces and bento box guard rails, a drying rack underneath, and a design that can be disassembled for storage and portability. This patent pending product utilizes a novel angled-hole design to secure the shelves with no other components or adhesive, putting ‘The Shelf-Helper’ in a whitespace of its own.
The GaitMaster
To address the limitations of current shoulder orthoses for patients at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, our team of five engineers created a shoulder orthosis to help stroke survivors reduce vertical subluxation of the shoulder during physical activity. By interacting with clients and potential users, benchmarking existing solutions, and constructing and testing several prototypes, the team developed a sling composed of four components that provides enough support to the arm and shoulder during gait training, while also preventing increased swelling of the hand.
Block Buddies
Nancy Cowles, from Kids in Danger, began to notice children starting to use tablets and other personal electronic devices at younger and younger ages. However, currently established safety standards for children’s toys have not yet been extended to regulate these devices. To address this, our team created ‘Block Buddies’, an educational game designed for use with an iPad Pro. It consists of three main components: the Block Buddies application, a set of conductive wooden blocks, and the Play Pad case with a flexible touchscreen cover. ‘Block Buddies’ has children in the target age group progress through an illustrated story by assembling wooden blocks properly on a conductive surface and answering simple questions, keeping them safe, engaged, and learning.
Safety
The design must adhere to existing safety standards for traditional toys, as well as account for safety risks associated with tablet. To ensure this, we removed any potentially toxic or dangerous materials, choking hazards, and sharp edges or corners from the design.
Entertainment
The product must be engaging for young children for an extended period of time, especially because children in our target age group have such small attention spans. This is achieved through bright engaging story boards, multiple play options, achievement based tasks, and interactive prompts.
Education
Since young children are at such a critical point in their development, the design should be developmentally beneficial. By providing a tangible component to develop spatial reasoning and fine motor skills, as well as basic quizzes, young children using the app can develop skills in multiple areas.