Finger Brush - Painting Assistant

Finger Brush - Painting Assistant - open-source assistive technology product by the Milbat community

About this project

Finger Brush is a 3D-printed device designed to simplify the action of painting for people with limited hand or finger control. While extremely versatile and compatible with most brushes, this design is made to fit IKEA paintbrushes as part of Milbat, IKEA, TOM, and Access Israel's ThisAbles project. To learn more, please visit their website at https://www.milbat.org.il/en/thisables/

The challenge

Painting is a great way to express individuality and creativity, but many people may struggle with holding and using paintbrushes. The Finger Brush was designed to make painting easy and fun for people with a variety of abilities!

ThisAbles is a joint project of Ikea-Israel, Milbat organization and Access Israel organization. In the framework of the project, a team of Milbat product designers and occupational therapists developed a variety of special devices and add-ons that enable people with disabilities to use and enjoy Ikea products.

Who it helps

Our design simplifies the action of painting for people with limited hand or finger control. The symmetrical base design fits comfortably on two fingers, leaving a open ring for one of 4 different-sized brush holders.

How it works

This product is accessible to the public thanks to TOM's partnership with Poalim for the Community.

ThisAbles Finger Brush is designed to enable people with special needs to enjoy the quality of life provided by IKEA products. This design is for people with limited hand mobility or who may have trouble holding a thin paintbrush steady.

The beauty of our project is that it allows people with different abilities to use mainstream products, so we aim to make our design as accessible as possible. Therefore, our design is readily available on our open-source website, and it is easy to download and print independently using a 3D printer.

With the help of a ring that holds the brush in place, the user can easily gain control of a paintbrush. Now you can paint just by moving your hand and without having to worry about the finger movements associated with holding a paintbrush manually.

Tools Needed:

3D Printer

Bill of Materials:

Please see BOM and printing models in the downloadable product file.

Estimated Time to Make:

2 hours of 3D-printing time

Project details

The build files for Finger Brush - Painting Assistant are free to download from this page - open source, shared by TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers.

Related projects

Browse all TOM projects · Search projects · TOM communities · Makeathons and events