The team created 2 solutions for our need-knower Kelly Lai to help her with daily activities. First, they created a short, tripod device that could aid Kelly in picking herself up when she falls. Created with the user in mind, this unique device had a rubber grip customized for Kelly’s palm and engineered to a specific angle that provided support for her right arm. The team also designed a modified, double-sided clip that would attach onto her jackets and aid Kelly in zipping up her coats using just one arm. Although this clip may appear simple, it worked remarkably when tested by Kelly and will save her a lot of time in the future.
For the TOM engineers, the challenge was to create a device that would help Kelly zip her jackets using only her right arm. Likewise, unable to easily maneuver, Kelly has difficulty picking herself up when she falls once a month. The second device that our engineers are hoping to create would help pick herself up without any assistance.
In 2007, our need-knower Kelly Lai suffered from a stroke after aneurysm surgery. The stroke left her hemiparesis which means she lost all sensation and feeling on her left side. As a 51-year-old mother of two, Kelly has now been put into an unexpected situation that is more difficult than imagined. Not only did her two children have to look after her but her whole life became one challenge after another.
An open-source assistive technology project shared free by TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers.
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