http://kristamav.blogspot.com/2010/09/green-tea-teapot.html
http://z3332715.blogspot.com/2010/09/rationale.html
http://andrea-krakovska.blogspot.com/2010/09/rationale.html
http://henrysdblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/project-1-back-massager.html
http://id-ella.blogspot.com/2010/09/experience-enrichment.html
Rationale:
The hand-tool chosen and re-designed was a toothbrush aimed at a target consumer of children 4-8 years of age. This product was chosen because it is often noticed that a child’s hand is less co-ordinated and strong as an adult’s. This often makes simple tasks such as holding hand-tools like knives and forks or bathroom utensils more difficult for children.
A solution to this problem was to make the grip larger and rounder so it is easier to ‘grab’ for a child’s hand. The egg-shaped handle toothbrush allows a child’s hand to wrap itself around it without making the child’s fingers overlap which can often cause problems and decrease the grip on the hand-tool. The shape also allows a variation of hand-sizes to use. Wether it’s a 4-year-old girl or an 8-year-old boy brushing their teeth, their hands are still going to wrap around the toothbrush the same way.
The toothbrush is also s
elf-standing which prevents the bristles of the toothbrush from touching the surfaces of its surroundings such as the bathroom sink, which are always covered with germs and bacteria. This helps decrease the a
mount of bacteria entering the child’s mouth and helps prevent sickness and nagging flu’s. The self-standing toothbrush would also draw attention and interest from the child and enhance the child’s experience while using the toothbrush. Engaging with the toothbrush should help make tooth-brushing a more pleasurable experience for the child instead of a chore.
The toothbrush can be manufactured using simple injection moulding methods with inexpensive plastics such as polystyrene (PS) or polypropylene (PP). The Bristles are made of synthetic nylon fibres.
