Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The Trolley Seat

Done by: Bryan Sim Wang Hong
Class of 1-07 (2011)
Description: Tackling the problem of commuters not giving up their seats to the elderly on public transport, Bryan designed a trolley that can withstand the weight of a seated elderly, as well as his groceries. Made of sturdy plastic, the lid of the trolley, when closed, can double-up as a seat for the elderly to rest on. Ventilation gaps are designed in so that the trolley has sufficient ventilation and the groceries will not go bad easily. Bars are installed at the side of the trolley for umbrellas. All handles are lined with rubber for better grip.


Elderly On Wheels

Done by: Carissa Liew En Hui
Class of 1-07 (2011)
Description: The Elderly On Wheels, designed by Carissa, is an activity centre housed in a bus, to cater to the needs of the lonely elderly. It settles the worries of their loved ones, as the design of the activity center considers all safety aspects of its users. For the initial stages, the bus will be touring around the Kovan and Hougang neighborhoods. The bus houses a mini kitchen, Ipad, television, chess sets, and comfortable seats. The furniture in the bus, are curved at the edges, as the designer takes into account the safety of the target users, which are the elderly.





Stick On

Done by: Chin Wai Kit
Class of 1-07 (2011)
Description: The elderly challenge identified by Wai Kit, is the challenge the elderly faces in maintaining their balance on the MRT whilst juggling their groceries. Through a pocket-sized hand-held handle, and utilizing simple concepts like suction cups, Wai Kit attempts to provide a smoother MRT ride for the elderly. Consisting of handles that are foldable by the push of a release button, together with four suction cups at the base of the handle, this simple device ensures the users a firm balance as well as a hook to hold onto their groceries while riding the train.







An Improved MRT

Done by: Chirla Akhila
Class of 1-02 (2011)
Description: Through close observation of the present MRT interiors, Akhila noted some areas of improvement in which the SMRT could consider. The current MRT seats are non-colour-friendly, hard and uncomfortable for the elderly. To counteract this problem, Akhila intends to introduce comfortable, cushioned, black seats to improve the comfort factor, and differentiate the seats of the elderly, from the seats of the general public. A clasp with an added locking system will be used to prevent wheelchairs from rolling forwards, should the MRT trains jerk to a halt. The height of the handle bars will be decreased to 1.6m so that it’ll be within reach of the elderly. The air condition will be maintained at a reasonable temperature of 25 degrees to suit the comfort level of the target users. There will be a television for entertainment, and an emergency button near the seats, for the elderly to press in times of emergencies. The staff in the next station will be alerted and will attend to the emergency.








Elderly Friendly Toilet

Done by: Choy Rui Zhi
Class of 1-05 (2011)
Description: Observing that most accidents occurs at home, and more specifically in the toilet, Rui Zhi designed an improved toilet to suit the needs of the elderly. The toilet has features such as an automatic sliding door, anti-slip flooring, and handles, to maximize safety. The bathing area has a control panel that effectively controls the temperature of the water. 






The Road Travelator

Done by: Desiree Lee Ru Yi
Class of 1-09 (2011)
Description: The Road Travelator aims to provide the elderly with a sense of security whilst crossing the road. Through her research, Desiree recognizes the fear in the elderly when crossing a road. A red barrier will be lowered whenever the lights are in favor of the pedestrians, which will give the elderly the added safety and security when crossing the road. The barrier will be installed in the direction of oncoming cars. The barrier is curved at the surface such that the elderly can have a better grip on it whilst crossing the road.


Push It Phone

Done by: Dominic Wong De Ming
Class of 1-08 (2011)
Description: With the elderly being easy targets of robbers, Dominic designed a system to aid the elderly in times of distress. When faced with a robber, the elderly can simply press the emergency button located at the side of a special phone, designed for them to carry around. This will in turn send a signal to a mini-camera that can be 'Velcro-ed' onto the elderly’s hat, capturing the robber’s facial features. The picture will be sent to the elderly’s emergency contacts, thereby notifying their loved ones and the police of their plight.





Newspaper Holder

Done by: Foo Kai Qi, Gladys
Class of 1-01 (2011)
Description: Possessing an eye for detail, Gladys observed that even a daily activity such as reading the newspapers can pose a problem to the elderly. Their poor eyesight, and frail bones and muscles, would make a simple task like holding up the newspapers at a desired reading angle that much more tiring and difficult. The Newspaper Holder, designed by Gladys, aims to eliminate all these problems, making the daily reading of the newspaper, a pleasant one. A board (70 x 40 x 0.3cm) is used to place the newspaper. A clip bar is present in the middle of the board to hold the newspaper down. It can be locked and unlocked by a push of a button. A slide-able magnifying plastic is introduced, to magnify the small characters on the newsprint. To improve visibility, a lamp is fixed onto the top right corner of the board. The board is supported by three sturdy tubes and can be adjusted to a desired angle.








The U-Stove

Done by: Gan Wan Cheng Isaac
Class of 1-05 (2011)
Description: To inculcate independence in the elderly around the home, the U-Stove, designed by Isaac, is a stove catered specially to their habits. The buttons are color-coded and labeled for easy recognition. The green button switches on the stove, the red button switches off the stove, the blue button sets the stove to a warm temperature, and the orange button heats up the stove. The U-Stove has three stoves, adjustable table legs to suit the height of the elderly, as well as easy-to-use buttons.







The Elderly MRT

Done by: Gan Wei Qin
Class of 1-07 (2011)
Description: To ease the boarding of the MRT, Wei Qin designed a separate platform for the elderly to wait on, till the next train arrives. Catered to only the elderly, the gantry to the platform only permits the elderly to board. Upon scanning the ez-link card of a senior citizen, the gantry will open its gates to let the elderly pass. Seats with armrests are available, as well as a sloped link to narrow the platform gap. Non-slip flooring is used for the platform. Upon arrival, the doors to the train will open together with the doors of the platform. Once the door “senses” and tallies the number of people who’ve boarded the platform and into the train, the doors to the train and platform will close and the train will move off.






The Kitchen

Done by: He Shiying
Class of 1-07 (2011)
Description: Providing a safe place for the elderlies to cook and mingle, Shiying designed a kitchen with added safety measures to suit their needs. The kitchen is designed such that there are two sets of stoves so that the elderly can share recipes and cook together with friends or new acquaintances. A drain cup is present at the bottom of the sink to sieve out small food pieces from waste that goes down the sink, preventing clogging. Table bins are carved out from the food preparation table to aid easy clearing of unwanted food pieces. The kitchen stove has panels around the circumference to prevent the splashing of oil. Trays and paper towels are provided for the convenience of its target users.






Safer Homes

Done by: Ho Zong Han
Class of 1-03 (2011)
Description: With Safer Homes, a project designed by Zong Han, the elderly will have easier and safer access to areas of the homes, which once posed a hazard to them. To enable the elderly to have better access to heavy objects on high shelves, a rotating cupboard was designed to rotate both top and bottom shelves to the desired height of the elderly. The elderly will never have to climb on chairs to reach for the highest shelves. The clothes rack will work on a pulley system to minimize the energy used by the elderly to bring their clothes in and out of the house, depending on the weather. The furniture layout will be made more spacious for easy wheelchair access.







The Adjustable Clothes Hanger

Done by: Jonathan Foo Chee Yong
Class of 1-01 (2011)
Description: Targeted at the elderly who are faced with weak bones, hunched back, and do not have much lifting strength, the Adjustable Clothes Hanger was designed by Jonathan to enable the elderly to hang clothes without difficulty. The Adjustable Clothes Hanger consists of a slide-able clothes-rack and a white circle button to control the height of the rack. There are hooks at the side of the rack to accommodate the hanging of clothes by hangers. The rack is stable and has four poles to cater to the small laundry size of the elderly.






The Elderly Walking Stick (Redefines walking sticks)

Done by: John Cheong Zhan Hao
Class of 1-06 (2011)
Description: Targeting to eliminate the fear in the elderly of being robbed or getting lost while going about their daily activities, the Elderly Walking Stick, designed by John, redefines conventional walking sticks by adding on of safety features. The Elderly Walking Stick has a light emitter that signals to cars, to stop for the elderly while they are crossing the street. When pressed, the emergency button, located at the side of the handle, sends a signal to the elderly’s loved ones, calling out to them for help. With the Elderly Walking Stick, the elderly will never be restricted to being constantly indoors.






Toilet Paper Holder

Done by: Nah Jie Yi
Class of 1-06 (2011)
Description: The Toilet Paper Holder is a device created by Jie Yi to improve the elderly's movements around the toilet. Taking into consideration that materials must be of good quality yet affordable, Jie Yi modified a toilet paper holder by making it extendable. This minimizes the stretching work that the elderly has to do to reach for the toilet paper. The Toilet Paper Holder consists of rubber-lined triangle handles, an extendable rod, and a circular firm supported base. It will be fixed onto the toilet cubicle wall, within the elderly’s reach. The elderly will simply grab onto the handle and pull the device closer to him/her in order to reach for the toilet paper. The length of the extendable rod can be adjusted to suit the user's preference.






The Safety Bowl

Done by: Neo Ting Wei Terrence
Class of 1-03 (2011)
Description: Designed for a better grip, the Safety Bowl has rubber-lined rims and handles. The rubber acts as an insulator of heat, preventing heat transfer from the contents to the bowl, to the user's hands. This prevents scalding. Terrence, too, wisely considered the material of the bowl, deciding that is be made from heat-resistant, lightweight polymer, as it is shatter-proof and microwaveble. The bowl has a firm and wide base to support the contents of the bowl stably, mitigating instances when the bowl might be knocked down accidentally. 



Spork (All in one utensil)


Done by: Sherman Tan Xuanming
Class of 1-05 (2011)
Description: The Spork is an all-in-one utensil, designed by Sherman, to cater to the elderly who faces difficulty in gripping their utensils. The sling attached to the side of the Spork is slung round one’s hand, thus minimal gripping is needed. The shell of the Spork doubles up as a spoon and a fork. A button, located along the handle of the Spork, can be pressed to scoop up food from the plate. The Spork also consists of a retractable knife that retracts into the handle when not in use. 







The Communicator

Done by: Tan Yan Ru, Valery
Class of 1-07 (2011)
Description: As the immobility of the elderly renders the elderly lonely at home, Valery designed The Communicator to improve the social lives of the elderly. Flat and board-like in structure, The Communicator can stand upright on a stand or hung to a wall. Adopting an elderly-friendly approach, The Communicator has a wide screen that displays a picture or video of the person whom you are talking to. The frequency and volume can be adjusted to suit one’s hearing levels. For easy recognition, the red circle button is the on-off button while the yellow square button ends the chat session. 






The New Elderly Friendly Bus

Done by: Tay Ming Yi
Class of 1-02 (2011)
Description: Considering the hustle and bustle of the morning and evening rush hours, Ming Yi designed the New Elderly Friendly Bus to better address the needs of the elderly when taking public transport to and fro from their place of residence. Ferrying only the elderly, the seats of the bus have headrests and railings attached to them to improve the comfort factor and their actions of getting up from their seats, respectively. Hooks are installed at the sides of seat railings to hook on umbrellas and grocery bags. Humps are lined along the floor edges of the wheelchair slots to prevent the wheelchair from moving forward should the bus jerks to a halt. Ez-link card scanner screens are made bigger to display a larger font sizes. There are wider spaces in-between seats so that the elderly are able to walk about without having to squeeze through narrow gaps. 






Canebrella 2011

Done by: Tay Zhi An
Class of 1-08 (2011)
Description: The Canebrella 2011 is an all improved walking stick that doubles up as an umbrella. Designed by Zhi An, the Canebrella is small in size, light weight, portable, ergonomically elderly-friendly, and easy to use. It has four suction cups at the base to provide stability when using the product. There is a universal joint at the bottom of the stick that can be bent (limited to 30 degrees) in all directions to aid the elderly in  climbing stairs. The universal joint can be securely locked to one’s desired angle. During rainy days, one can use the umbrella extension, that can be easily pulled out from the base. The handles are lined with rubber grips, and an alarm for users to press in times of distress.