Ergonomics (Multi-Opener Tool)

Multi-Opener

CONTENTS:

1. Picture of this product
2. Information about this product

3. Design considerations about this product
4. Difficulties faced by the elderly about this product
5. Improved designed of this product (Photo sketch)
6. Any doubts or queries please post them at the "Comments" corner



Picture of this product:


Information about this product:
It is a multi-opener designed by the company J&M. It opens everything (e.g. bottles, jars, plastic containers) and is made of sturdy, flexible rubber. There are three different sizes of the hole opener to make it convenient-From small bottle caps to big plastic containers. It can be held on all the sides. It can be squeezed to tighten it much further and twist the caps. It as pointy edges in the inner grooves like the gears to fit into the caps of the objects.

Design considerations:
It is made in this design because usually caps have pointy small edges that increases friction between the surfaces when contact and using this tool makes it easier to turn. It is made of rubber to give the elderly a tight and easy squeeze on the caps, and has small columns at the sides the grip it tight, especially those who have sweaty palms. It suits the object to the normal size of people's hands.
Difficulties an elderly faces:
The elderly will experience that she/he needs to turn the cap or squeeze the cap using the tool requires much strength.

Photo Sketch:


This is a sketch of an improved version of the Multi-Opener. It has rubber studs all surrounded at the outer surface and a small dish that is adjustable in height to hold the container/bottle. It also has a stick at the lower end of the opener to let the elderly push the stick to open, not twisting the opener. The dish is to secure the container in place when the cap is about to open.

Ergonomics II

1. Safety-Rubber non-slip mat, to prevent the elderly from falling down. It uses friction between the mat and the surface so it will be sturdy there.

2. Ease of use-Umbrellas, can be used as a walking stick and at the same time if it rains, she/he can use the umbrella to cover her/himself.

3. Comfort-Adjustable beds and lights(Whether to dim the lights down or get it brighter). This is to let the elderly see with proper lighting and good eyesight. The beds are to prevent backache as the elderly back is usually weak or has a slip disc.

4. Aesthetics-Words and the background of things could be just black and white as some people are colour blind and cannot differentiate colours properly.

5. Productivity/Performance-No sharp edges around the table, if the elderly knocks his/her head on it it will cause intensive or internal bleeding in the skull. Making it round and curvy with a huge space to do work is necessary.

Ergonomics I


Click on the picture to see it clearer. (Or click HERE)

From the table above, we can compare and observe that workplace 2 is much better than workplace 1. Some considerations are the body, whether it is 9o degrees angle of the knees, wrists and back straight when typing and no neck strain. It is to have a better learning environment to work or study.

Humanscale Ergonomics video

Ergonomics definition:

Ergonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability. It is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. Ergonomics is employed to fulfill the two goals of health and productivity. It is relevant in the design of such things as safe furniture and easy-to-use interfaces to machines.


Concept of ergonomics being applied here.