Handling The Handler!

Welcome back to our junior year of high school and our very first Action Project in STEAM class. In this class called Design and Engineering we have been learning about all kinds of things we first answered the question what separates humans and animals. Then we grew from that question and we learned about tools and how they are used. To start this off we worked in the garden using our hands and then our tools. We learned about what tools are used for and how to use them. We had to interview someone who gardens and ask them questions about their process. Then we started learning about empathy and how to to create and design for people who can’t do things normally. We had to find workarounds. We went to Home Depot and we saw first hand how all of their tools weren’t meant for certain people. For our Action project we had to pick a tool from Home Depot and redesign it so that it could be used by elderly people. With a partner I developed a tool that I know elders would love to use without all of the hassle.

My partner and I have also created a story board on how to use this product and how to clean it. We have calculated the weight of our tool and the measurements. The new tool is a Mattock axe. I would say our new tool is comfortable and easy to use. Instead of a regular gardening axe, the Mattock axe will have handles on both sides of the axe for better leverage. It also has foot pedals, so that you can have more force when breaking through concrete. When you receive this tool, you would put together all of the equipment, then you would grab the handles dig into the ground and then step on the foot pedal. The reason this works is because the handles have grips on them that allows for better leverage, so the axe won’t slip out of your hand. The foot pedals help for not having to use too much force.

 Our new tool is an example of innovation and efficiency because we thought about how can we help old people feel strong without letting them hurt themselves. Many old people want to believe that they can do things that they just can’t do anymore like handling an axe, so instead of fixing the old people we fixed the axe. Our tool is more efficient because it doesn’t require any battery powered things or, electronic devices. Our tool separates us from our competition because everyone else did a tool like a shovel or something an old person could use anyway. We chose something they wouldn’t be able to use and made it useable. We also added foot pedals to give more force. Our tool is also lighter and allows for better leverage with the handles.
This project helped me learn that it is very hard to include everyone into a design. In fact you can never include everyone because some is always going to be unsatisfied. I now understand that elders can’t do everything s middle age adult can do and it was interesting having to design for someone who may be weak or not really be able to see well. I have also realized that it can be difficult to create something for elders because you just want to make everything new and electric, but you really can’t when it comes to elders because not everyone can handle that.