Max Le Moine
Industrial Designer
Elevate
Inclusive Baby Change Table
3rd Year, 4 Months
Working in accessibility for the past six years, I noticed persons with disabilities are thought of in various areas, including education, the workforce, and sports. However, one area that is only just being uncovered is parenting with a disability. Therefore, when I got the task of designing a product with a mechanism I knew I wanted to design for the disabled parent market.
Ema
A new parent who uses a manual wheelchair. Wants to be independent in parenting but needs help occasionally.
Eric
A new parent who is able-bodied and changes diapers in a standing posture.
Mia
A new-born baby who needs to have their diaper change up to the age of 2 when they are 10 pounds.
Research Insights
The sides can be foldeddown to transfer babies vertically.
Parents can wheel under the bassinet.
It is hard to find/research products for disabled parents.
Parents use support for some activities.
Parents need products to bring babies to wheelchair height.
Human Factors
Moving to human factors, change tables are usually used and rated up until the baby is typically age 2, or 13.6 Kg. This lead to researching different anthropometric data for the personas.
Design Influence
The initial design was inspired by Nordic Design, known for its minimalist approach incorporating natural colors, materials, light texture, and clean lines. Additionally, various sustainable materials were researched to support the eco-friendly direction of the project.
Market Analysis
Looking at current products on the market, designers noticed that Baby Change Tables are either around $100 with no height adjustability or $4,000 with electric height adjustment. Hence, height-adjustable tables were researched as they are cheaper (around $150) and use a manual height adjustment mechanism.
Initial Sketching
Sketching was used to ideate different ways the mechanism could work. This included both how the mechanism is controlled and how it travels up and down. Gears, wires/pulleys, and gas struts were considered to make the arms move. Both double and single-scissor configurations were investigated through this process.
Use Contexts
Once ideas for a mechanism were constructed, anthropometric data were used to illustrate different user contexts. This really helped figure out what concept would work with the ergonomic constraints. In the end, a single scissor on top of a tall base worked the best for both seated and standing postures.
Prototypes
Using a laser cutter, the mechanism prototypes were made. As shown in the first cardboard mockup, the top and bottom sections did not move in parallel in the first prototype. Through consultations, the sliding sections were moved, and a middle pin was added to solve this problem, as shown in the Acrylic (blue) mockup. This finding, through prototyping, guided the rest of the project.
Mechanisms
Drive Shaft with Front Connecting Rod
Easy to keep safe.
Ergonomic knee room.
Efficient to manufacture.
Gears with Front Connecting Rod
Easy to keep safe.
Ergonomic knee room.
Efficient to manufacture.
Drive Shaft with Back Connecting Rod
Easy to keep safe.
Ergonomic knee room.
Efficient to manufacture.
Cable
Carefully considering design requirements, designers went back to the drawing board and used the space created by the padding. This facilitates a winch and pulley system, which keeps the mechanism out of the way of users while making manufacturing less complex.
Easy to keep safe.
Ergonomic knee room.
Efficient to manufacture.
Looks-Like Model
While considering aesthetics, a works-like model was manufactured to communicate the colour, material, finish (CMF) design. In addition, creating the form made designers realize the crank could be moved up to provide more knee room and create my final mechanism. This was a crucial turning point of the project.
Works Like Model
To explore the physical properties of the design, designers made a works like model. This helped designers understand how the mechanism works on both sides of the table. The need component(s) to tie both sides together so they operate in tandem was a point of consideration.
Colour, Material, Finish
Using Keyshot Rendering, the CMF design of Elevate was brought to life. This was combined with prior sustainability research.
Black-painted recycled PET
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PET can have a circular life cycle.
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Recycling of PET reduces environmental impacts.
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Some waste is produced in the product system due to material degradation.
Powder Coated Recycled Aluminum
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Corrosion resistant and lightweight.
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Uses 5% of extraction energy to melt and recycle.
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Does require a lot of energy to produce virgin.
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Powder Coating is Durable
Mineral Oil Finished Bamboo
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Grows up to 1 meter a day.
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Is lightweight, strong, and does not expand or contract relative to other wood.
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Requires a lot of transportation to bring to North America.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Fabric
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Durable, waterproof, and chemical resistant.
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Can be made out of recycled materials and is recyclable.
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Can only be recycled at special facilities.
Webbed or Injection Molded Black Nylon
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Strong in tensile applications.
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Reduces friction in mechanical applications.
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Recycling Nylon is Energy Intensive.
Packaging
As a minor project, packaging was created for shipping the product. Since the product is a large piece of furniture, flat packaging was selected to reduce the size of the table during transportation. Initial sketching helped determine that it would be beneficial to divide components into 3 boxes with spacers and supports.
