Solving The World's Issues One Grippy Grabber At a Time

In Design and Engineering , our class learned about simple machines. We learned how to find volume, surface area and area of different shapes.The purpose of this action project is to create an ergonomic gardening tool for senior citizens because most tools aren’t fit for their weaker bodies. My customer in my mind is a senior citizen who needs to grab things when gardening or for everyday life, but cannot because of their weak bones and joints. By creating an ergonomic grabber, it will make their life easier. In class we also learned about empathy, which is putting yourself in someone else's shoes to understand what they’re going through. When creating a tool for senior citizens, I must imagine myself as a senior to create something that I think would be best for them. Before creating our tool, we had to interview a gardener. My interviewee informed me about gardening. Some of the best advice she told me was, your hands are your best tools because it is the most consistent and easiest, that planting takes time and effort, and that before you plant you must plan. My partner's interviewee told him,”if I could make my own tool, I’d make a device that lessens work for the elderly when bending down and getting up. Something that moves and can elevate or descend.” We tried to take both of the gardeners’ advice and create a perfect tool that is easier for senior citizens to use. We also researched examples of other grabbers and noticed the main things that people change were how long it is, the type of lever, and how the claw open and closes. My partner and I took some of these ideas and created our own tool called the Grippy Grabber.

The Grippy Grabber is used to grab things that are far or unreachable. It grabs things with a clamp that opens and closes with a gradual switch. As you slide the switch the clamp closes at the same speed. This helps you choose how wide you want the clamp to open. The parts included are the switch, the extendable arm/pole inside, a button to press so the arm is able to extend, and the changeable slips and blades. We included the switch because senior citizens’ finger joints and muscles are weaker, and it is much easier to slide something instead of exerting force by holding down a lever. The extendable arm is to reach things that are further away and the button makes it easier to extend. The changeable slips and blades are for customers who want to grab all types of things, as only having one material(rubber) is limiting. The changeable blades are to get a better grip onto the object you are trying to pick up. The Grippy Grabber is a great tool because it uses an ergonomic switch that makes grabbing things easier and comfortable for everyone. It’s an example of a lever because when the senior citizen slides the switch the clamp closes. The Grippy Grabber includes using a fulcrum, a fulcrum is the point the lever is supported on. The persons hands are being used as a fulcrum in this case because the customer must support the Grippy Grabber when using.


height=36in

diameter=4in

Volume: v= 3.14(r^2)(h)

3.14(2^2)(36)

Volume = 452.16in^3

Surface Area: 2(3.14)(r)(h) + 2(3.14)(r^2)

452.16+25.12= 476.28in ^2