DIY Accessability Aids and Adaptive Devices

I am disabled always have been.

The world wasn't made for people with disabilities. So we often get left behind or stuck paying a disabled tax to get the products we need to function.

(Remember everyone is one accident from being disabled and knows someone who is disabled, so I don't understand how Ableism is even a thing. (Enough said about that.))

Having one arm often leads to holding and manipulating object struggles. This is also a problem among the elderly for many reasons.

Pill bottles are one of the objects that cause me pain and frustration. And this morning (a while back now) I nearly failed to get one opened.

So I'm going to figure this problem out and take you on the ride to see my process of developing adaptive and accessibility solutions. Check out the video or keep reading for more detail.

Supplies

Things you may want for the problem solving and design process.

• Pen
• Paper
• Measurement tools (remember your tolerances)
• A willingness to fail.

Prototyping well that's still to be determined but I use CAD (computer aided design) and 3D printing. Among other shop tools.

Step 1: What Is the Problem?

Figuring this out can be hard, well breaking it down into bite size pieces can be tricky.

Let's see what we're working with.

• I can't pull or push the cap while turning.
• But why? (Why? Is the best question you learned when you were 3)
• When l hold the bottle in my palm with middle to pinky fingers, index and thumb aren't strong enough to overcome the latch and friction. (doing with only hand)
• Why?
• Because I have broken my hand and other arm suck. (And we have passed the point of constructive Why's)

The drawings demonstrate the forces needed to open a pill bottle

Fig 1: the bottle in all my best doodling glory.

Fig 2: the user must apply a force to the top of the cap and bottom of bottle (jar) the user must apply torque to the

cap and an opposing force to the jar sufficient to over come the friction produced by the compressing forces.

Now that we have a basic understanding of what is going on....

Step 2: I Forecast a BRAIN STORM.

Now take your head and slam it against the paper and things will fall out. Hahaha don't hurt yourself, but do start writing down any ideas that pop into your head (clearly bad ideas can lead to good ones if you give them a chance.)

Fig 2: This is my brain storming session. Write down your requirements. Don't forget to give each idea some pros and cons. And away we go.

• Requirements: kid resistant, accessible, cheap (conflict of requirements) We can probably work with this.
• Lockable lid, key or code. Pro, secure. Con complex.
• Petition manufactures to make a bottle that's Kid resistant and Accessible. HAHAHAHahahaha Pro, one less disability tax. Con there's no money in it for manufacturer (so nope)
• Add something to the bottle and lid to make opening easier. Pro, might find something in drawer. Con may be fiddly.
• Lockable pill container with easy open lid. Pro, secure. Con, would have to move label.

That's probably enough for this project. Let's break it down and find something WE CAN DO to get the bottle open easier.

COMPLEXITY KILLS GOOD IDEAS. Engineers (I know I'm one) are great at making simple problems oppressively complex, adding cost often killing a project before it has a chance.

Complexity removes the lockable lid and container ideas; because we need to Keep It Stupid Simple.

We should all ask at the pharmacy for better bottles. But that don't help us now or tomorrow.

Lets see what we can use to get a better grip on the bottles

LETS SEE IF LIGHTING STRIKES TWICE. second Brain Storm.

• 3D print some sort of grips for lid and bottle. Pro, customizable, scalable, shareable. Con, need 3D printer.
• Glue handles onto bottle and cap. Pro, cheap, easy. Con, ruins label.
• Add some grip to cap and bottle (rubber bands, zip ties?) Pro, easy, reusable. Con, Grip?
• Fix cap or bottle to something so only need to manipulate one object. Pro, easy to use. Con, may block other things.

A rack like the old timers jars full of parts would be awesome it would probably get in the way, maybe when we have more prescriptions. Their is an Instructable for that.

We can't destroy the labels.

Rubber bands and zip ties sounds good and quick. lets try this one.

I have a 3D printer so I'll CAD up some slip on handles to try too. Fig 3: brainstorm doodles and measurements used for CAD work. (I use FreeCAD).

Step 3: Test and Record

Testing.

Rubber bands: Fig 1,2: Pro; improvement when used in hand or between knees for twisting. Con; didn't help getting more force pushing cap down.

Zip ties: Fig 3:Fail; zip tie was not able to grip lid enough and spun on lid. Hand has sufficient grip on bottle so testing stopped.

3D printed removable handles: Fig 4,5,6: Pro; worked quite well to hold bottle pushing on leg and turning lid off. Con; clumsy for in hand use, will need different size for each size bottle and lid type.

Remember to fail so you can learn. Fig 7: measure again, not sure how many times I measured but it don't mater if you keep putting the numbers into the CAD files wrong. CHECK AGAIN.

Step 4: Use What Worked, Examples

Fig 1: I will use the printed handles for the bottles that they fit and design more handles as need (and make available here). Iteration happened keep reading.

Fig 2: I will also be adding rubber bands to most of the ratcheting lids in our medicine cabinet.

The process we just went through was used to make the following modifications to other objects used every day.

Fig 3: Humidifier functional by applying a handle to the water reservoir. Allowing for both manipulation and easy alignment. Could have also epoxied rope on instead of printing a handle.

Fig 4: frozen fingers need to use mouse and type, glove modified by removing finger tips.

You get the idea. now you should be able to Scientific Method to find solutions to your accessibility problems. (you didn't realize I was teaching you science did you HAHAHaaaa)

Hope you enjoyed remember to check out the video and my work on thangs.com. link above.

Step 5: Remember This Is Iterative Improvements Might Keep Coming.

That idea of jars hanging from lids under the shelf was an itch I just couldn't scratch. so lets do it again with this idea.

Requirements.

• Improve lid removal.
• Not obstruct shelf access.

Brain storm.

• glue or screw lids to under side of shelf, Pro simple, Con obstructs access
• tie convener thing with lids on it, Pro many bottles, Con obstructs access, needs power
• lid grabber under shelf, Pro could be low profile, Con may need 3D printed

Lid grabber seams to be a good option and we already made and tested one.

A rubber mat could be used to get more grip on top of lid or bottom of bottle. (have not tested)

A few hours of CAD and printing, produced a lid turner for both sizes available in my area that works amazingly well. It is low profile and easy to mount with screws under the shelf. File available below or here

Please remember that not everyone that may need assistive devices that are 3D printed has access to the necessary tech, If you can please help improve accessibility for everyone when ever possible.

Step 6: Pill Bottle Lids Are Not Standardized

After a Field trip to all the local pharmacy I was able to get from the independent pharmacy the bottles they used and much help. From friends from I got bottles from the corporate pharmacy (it was like pulling teeth to get the big pharmacy to help). With big pile of bottles in Hand measuring time happened and got a range in cap sizes from about 20mm to 70mm, and many shapes.

Fig 1: Some were pretty simple square top designs, some were reversible with threads that fit inside the bottle (not secure and often fall off) and the "WAL" bottles have a push down tab that engages the lid.

Brain Storm how to deal with many types.

• could make something that fits each bottle and lid manufacture. (Did that for Kroger not practical with the variety at hand)
• can universal helper be made?

What can fit many diameters?

• some sort of grabber device. (That's going to need lots of parts)
• Taper/s (simple, grip may be issue)

K.I.S.S

Made a quick 11 degree taper test that worked well enough but needed a wider range to accommodate different sizes. And design, test, repeat. See fig 2: pile of partly functional helpers.

Eventually something will start working after you found and solved enough problems.

Finished dezigns

Fig 3,4: 3 tapered holes for sizes ~16mm to 70mm with 3 teeth to catch groves in lids, grove on side to help pop top lids, retractable foil cutter (took a few chunks out of my fingers getting that figured out) See working

Fig 5: Same as Fig 3,4; but with 2 pop top groves and sunk foil cutters. See foil cut

See my Thangs if your disabled or Cults3d if you can afford to support my work.