EPT- A multifunctional assistive apparatus for the elderly and patients with knee ailments.
Ept, meaning ‘adroit’ or ‘skillful’, an antonym of the word ‘inept’, is a multifunctional walking stick designed to facilitate the elderly suffering from knee ailments such as inflammation, weakness, joint pain, to walk, be able to lift their leg onto the bed and to do other daily activities, eliminating the need of a caregiver.
Awards & Recognition:
ADI Battle of Projects International Award 2022 WINNER - 1st runner up - Design for social impact
ADI Battle of Projects International Award 2022 WINNER - 2nd runner up - Lifestyle design
Lexus Design Global 2022 - Finalist candidate
European Product Design Award 2021 WINNER - Platinum Award
Busan International Design Award 2021 WINNER - IDEA award
Taipei International Design Award 2021 - WINNER - Distinction award
International Design Award (IDA) 2020- WINNER BRONZE - design for society / design for elderly
Lexus Design Award India 2021- Finalist (1 of 3 finalists - open category)
Lexus Design Award Global 2021- Finalist Candidate (one of 17 finalist candidates)
TEDA International Design Cup 2021 - Finalist
Golden Pin International Concept Award - second round selection
Defining the Problem
Joint pain can come at any point in life whether young or old. People become dependent on a walking stick to help them walk. But when its time to lie down on the bed it is very difficult to lift their weaker leg onto the bed (especially in the case of back pain), and they become dependent on a caretaker for help. They feel mentally down because they have to be dependent on other for so many things. This affects their self esteem and dignity.
My approach
My approach was to make a tool without getting into any complex mechanisms. To inculcate the feature to lift the leg and other features on a very common product used by the patients, i.e. WALKING STICK. Hence decided to redesign it to enable the patients to achieve the basic tasks and meet their needs to add value and improve their life.
People like to use products that solve not one, but many of their problems. Especially in Indian culture, people but products that are multifunctional. So I kept the fact in my mind before I started ideating, that the product should be multifunctional to cater and solve multiple problems in the users life to create a seamless experience.
