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ERGONOMIC MOUSE EASING HAND AILMENTS

Project Overview

Stampmouse is a ergonomic mouse designed for those suffering from hand ailments such as arthritis, who find it hard to move individual fingers freely. It is intuitive to use Stampmouse - simply stamp it, and a click event will be registered.

Date: December 2014
Duration: 2 weeks
Team: Vivek Pai, Alex Wang, Shawn Xu, Nathan Thompson
Role: 3D modeling and printing

{ 27 Million }

American adults suffer from osteoarthritis as of today

Step #1. Brief research into problem

The project started with a quick look into common hand ailments like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and arthritis. The takeaway was that patients suffered from almost all degrees of finger movement.

  • X-ray view for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis

  • Pain is more severe for aging patients

  • Ergonomic mice are expensive and still require slight finger movements

Step #2. Ideation, modeling, and sketches

Once decided that our mice should minimize finger movement, "stamping" came up as an intuitive substitute for clicking. We quickly skecthed out a rough model to bring it further.

  • Modeling inner structure from multiple perspectives

  • Various approaches to string attachment

  • String fixation plan

Step #3. 3D Modeling
A set of flow maps were hand-sketched, and we iterated twice based on critcs received. The final version featured a clear logical flow for higher fidelity processes.

  • Mouse exterior modeling

  • Button trigger modeling

  • Mouse base modeling

Step #4. Iterative fabrication
After revising the models, we printed individual parts and worked to assemble them together. This went through some iterations as we identified flaws in earlier designs.

  • Drilling holes on mouse base

  • Curving into mouse exterior to make space for components

  • First iteration of button trigger - stick with poor connection to board

  • Inner view of the mouse base

... I'm a designer, producer and I am hands-on for every project I undertake. The creative side of what I do is really something I think people overlooked for a while.    - Dita Von Teese

Project Outcome

A Stampmouse was produced. While only left click was enabled (through stamping), we considered adding right click through a slight wrist right tilting. With several rounds of spring calibrations, the feedback for stamping the mouse was swift and satisfying.