Hangers
The first hangers were store-bought plastic hangers, modified by adding holes. This ensured the cleansing medium had better contact with the clothes.
C-Tech produced a bespoke prototype, with added functionality to spray the cleansing medium on the inside of the clothes.
Testing showed no performance improvement with the internal feature, only adding unnecessary complexity, so this was removed from future designs.
Conceptual Thinking
We engaged with Echo Brand Design, guided by provisional dimensions and feedback from our previous iterations, to provide conceptual designs. They produced six superb and innovative designs; from these, two were chosen. This meant that most of the user requirements were met, thus minimising unnecessary accessories, ensuring ease of use.
These two were nicknamed the Clifton and the Pedal and became the focus of our hanger development.
There have been personal, financial and organisational challenges along the way, these are detailed within the relevant sections of the website.
A decision was made to proceed with Kickstarter crowdfunding, to allow us to progress, in the difficult environment.
Without funding or investment, we can’t deliver this revolutionary product, which has the potential to transform the lives of wheelchair and limited mobility users around the world. The Lead Prototype will remain an example of unfulfilled opportunity and we don’t want that, Joe at least, deserves better!
First Prototypes
We fabricated functional prototypes of the Clifton and the Pedal, to allow for basic testing to take place.
This demonstrated that the designs provided the necessary structure and support for the washing and drying features, as per the original requirements.
They were also tested by the Blackwood Scrutiny Groups to assess form and fit. These designs were then formalised for IPR submission.
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Second Prototypes
Feedback from the Blackwood groups identified some requirements that were still not met. We needed a versatile multi-purpose hanger, for small items (socks and underwear) and for large items (towels and sheets).
With E3Design, we designed a hanger that offered the required versatility, using multiple apertures on a flexible sheet.
A prototype version was fabricated and successfully tested at a subsequent Blackwood session. This was known as the Plurality Hanger. Following further development, this design was also formalised for IPR.
How your pledge could impact our research
Without funding or investment, we can’t deliver this revolutionary product, which has the potential to transform the lives of wheelchair and limited mobility users around the world.
3D Print Capability
As our CAD and 3D printing capabilities have improved, we are now able to produce prototypes of any of the hanger designs in-house. This allows for further refinement and development without the need for external facilities.
