As an assignment, we were ordered to create a tool that would help an
elderly, disabled lady pour her glass of water without problem or complaint. The main focus would lie om eliminating the hurtful movements she had to conduct when pouring her glass ; opening the glass bottle, lifting the bottle and pouring the glass, closing the bottle and putting it away. Due to the restraints caused by the overuse of her shoulder, most of these movements were difficult for her and none were without complaint. We set off to design a structure that would permanently hold the bottle as well as a tap that would allow her to pour a glass of water with the least effort possible.

Step 1: Getting the Materials

Certain tools, materials and means of production will be required to create the frame and the tap ;

- 6mm thick MDF plate, for lasercutting.

- Plastic cap from a generic glass bottle.

- Glue.

- Toilet connecter with a rubber inline.

- Iron water tap with handle.

- A crown (can be found in the sanitary department of your local hardware store)

Step 2: Lasercutting the Frame

The frame is to be lasercutted (by using the added lasercut file) out of an MDF plate with a thickness of 6mm.

It is to be noted that MDF is not the only material this frame can be made out of, as long as the material thickness remains to be 6mm, anything will do. We chose MDF for its ease of use in the lasercutter and despite being cheap, MDF is quite sturdy.

Step 3: Assembly of the Frame

The frame is to be assembled in the following order ;

- Use the indentations on the big 3/4 circle to position the supporting beams under the right angle.

- Both full rings can now be placed in the indentations at the top of the supporting beams. The circle with the biggest hole goes at the top. (Note that the bottom 3/4 circle can be removed temporarily in order to provide more room for that assembly of the full circles.)

- Glue the rings in place.

- Use a saw to cut the toilet connector piece so that it sits flush with the bottom circle.

- Glue the connector piece in place.

Step 4: Assembly of the Tap

You will need a drillbit and some sanding paper to assemble the tap.

- Drill a hole (+/- 1cm diameter) in the platic bottlecap and carefully sand it down.

- Place the bottlecap on the bottle for support.

- Take the crown and place it on top of the platic bottlecap, if it fits, glue it in place.

- The top of this crown is threaded, so the iron tap can be screwed right on. Note that the thread of the crown needs to match the thread of the iron tap for this to work. Mostly these are labeled 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 or 1/16. Make sure both numbers match.

Step 5: All Pieces Together and Usage

The bottle is to be placed upside-down in the framework. The rubber lining will hold the bottle in place and the the tap is used to control the flow of the water.

By using a generinc bottlecap, the tap can be placed on most generic glass bottles.