GRASP

This project was created for Design 331A Junior Design Studio. Grasp is a new take on an electric corkscrew that is able to be operated with a single hand.

 

PRODUCT OPPORTUNITY

Bottle openers on the market generally use two hands, both to stabilize the bottle and to create the leverage needed to extract the cork. While electric openers require the use of both hands to prevent the bottle from twisting, the nature of this style of opener removes the need to create leverage with one hand, which eliminates much of the stability concerns.

CONCEPT 1

This concept would incorporate two jaw like clamps to prevent the bottle fro twisting while opening. The outside surface would acts as the switch, sliding up and down to turn on and off the corkscrew.

FEEDBACK & OBSERVATIONS

  • “The device is too thick and hard to hold for smaller hands.““

  • It would be nice if the place where you hold the device had different holding positions to accommodate smaller and larger hands.”

  • “It’s hard to line up the jaws with the neck of the bottle with out missing.”

  • “If I’m pushing down on the bottle, the straight sides of the device might be hard to grip. With enough force my hands might slide off the bottom”

CONCEPT 2

Using a tapered collar to replace the outer sleeve of the previous model would afford the user better grip when pushing down on the bottle. The taper also helps to accommodate different size hands.

FEEDBACK & OBSERVATIONS

  • “I like that I am pushing against the taper”

  • The user can only fit 2-3 fingers on the top taper and can’t get full purchase on the top taper

  • By putting two fingers on both up and down tapers, the ridge creates uncomfortable pressure on the palm of the hand

  • The smallest circumference of the collar would not allow the mechanism of the previous model

CONCEPT 3

Using the tapering idea from the previous concept, the entire body of the device is tapered, allowing different hand positions based on hand size.

FEEDBACK & OBSERVATIONS

  • With the tapered body, a sliding collar would be difficult to integrate smoothly

  • “I like having the different hand positions. It allows me to fit the device to my hand rather than the other way around.”

CONCEPT 4

This device incorporates the jaw idea from the first model, for stabilization, and the tapered body from the previous idea. The body acts as a fixed jaw and the movable jaw acts as the clamp and switch.

FEEDBACK & OBSERVATIONS

  • With the tapered body, a sliding collar would be difficult to integrate smoothly

  • “I like having the different hand positions. It allows me to fit the device to my hand rather than the other way around.”