Reimagining Stylus 🖊️
A 🖊️ that helps you actuate touch like never before
Project Type: Maker Lab
Course: Maker Lab 2
Timeline: Jan-April 2022
Role: UX Designer, contributed to the presentation, generated the idea of the 8mm nano vibrator
Team: Clayton, Mikayla, and I
Tools: Figma, Dremel 3D40
Overview:
Essential tremors affect an estimated ten million people in the United States. Essential tremors (ES) is a neurological disease in which a person's hands and other body parts shake uncontrollably. Our stylus will connect to the user's touchscreen device through Bluetooth, where our application will run tests to recognize movement patterns and adjust to the user's movements. While this application is primarily focused on ET, it will benefit a variety of other disorders with comparable symptoms, such as Parkinson's disease, old age, muscle weariness, low blood sugar, thyroid issues, and etc.
Project Topic
What are we designing?
We are designing a stylus for those with limited mobility in their hands and arms.
Who are the users?
People suffering from side effects from ailments such as carpal tunnel, arthritis, cerebral palsy, various injuries, etc.
Goal
Create a safe, accessible and “fun” somatic experience
Target multiple somatic experiences to reach a wider range of users
Make our design more accessible and inclusive
Somatic Experience
Kinesthetic
Designed to support users with limited hand mobility when using touch screens like tablets or kiosks
Enhancing design by using magnets to help user have easier control with removing and putting on gauntlet
Not only will they be able to experience the feeling of touch but they can also enjoy the experience with ease
Visual
Use LED light to provide feedback to user when stylus is actuate
The small fan will be either on the left or right side
Haptic
Use an 8mm vibrator to provide feedback to user when stylus is actuated
Used alongside the LED visual indicator
How do we make it more inclusive by utilizing the Internet of Things (IOT)?
Hand Tremor Tracking
Upwards of 10 million Americans are afflicted with hand tremors
Makes it nearly impossible to use touch screens
5% of people over 50 are affected by Essential Tremors disorder (Harvard Health, 2019)
Stylus pens don’t use bluetooth. They use electromagnetic fields to interact with the touch screen.
Using our proximity sensor we can tell our bluetooth app how close the stylus is to the screen
Haptic touch feedback
When using the stylus users don’t get to experience a phones vibration when clicking buttons
Especially taking into consideration of shaking hands, users need that confirmation that their input has been accepted
Production Methods
Measure and cut the garden wire to the right size
Attach the wires to the board via zip ties
Coil garden wires around stylus
Tape all wires and stylus together to create a flexible arm
Bend 2 cardboard rings around the slap bands
Tape those bands together to ensure the band is tightly in place
Use hot glue the bands in the ideal spots
Attach the Arduino board to the side of our forearm brace fitted inside a 3D printed box
We will then hot glue a single magnet to 1 side of each snap band
Attach our Nano 8mm vibrator to the middle of our brace and running the wires up to the Arduino casing
Materials Needed
Measuring Tape
Scissors
Arduino + Led + Proximity sensor
Tape
Zip Ties
Garden Wires
Hot glue
Wood planks
Stylus
Cardboard
Strap Bands
8mm Arduino Nano Vibrator
3D Printer
