STEM 2
Course Description
Within Assistive Technology, under the supervision of Dr.
Crowthers, Mass Academy students are granted the opportunity to
create a project that enables the group to connect with their local
community to create a product that helps individuals perform tasks
easier. Max, Rishi, Shaurya, and I (The VaRMerS as we like to call
ourselves) decided that we wanted to take advantage of this
opportunity to help individuals who lack hand mobility gain access to
a similar typing experience. Thus, we created our product – STEPKEYS:
A QWERTY Foot Keyboard.
Problem Statement and Design Approach
StepKeys was developed to address an issue
that millions of Americans face in our world today. Our goal was to
assist individuals suffering from hand mobility issues or those
without hands to type on a keyboard efficiently and pain-free. The
design was a keyboard with a modified layout compared to traditional
QWERTY keyboards to enhance efficiency and optimize the user's ability
to type with their feet. The device works as a normal keyboard but is
placed on the ground and connected to a desired screen via Bluetooth.
There are two unique buttons on our design that, when pressed,
activate a whole new set of characters for the user to use so that the
overall amount of buttons is minimized. This technology has the
potential to alleviate the pain and frustration of people who cannot
use traditional keyboards due to chronic pain or lack of hands.
Our Solution and Engineering Process
Throughout our engineering process, we
consistently iterated our model based on the feedback that we
received from our clients and peers. While an image of our final
iteration is present to the right, there were several iterations that
resulted in the 3D-printed, unique design that is featured.
Initially, the group strived to have a product that allowed for their
to be a trackpad present; however, it became evident that the
functionality of the trackpad would be difficult as the users would
have to drag their feet on different sensitivities, so we decided to
iterate our model to not include this feature. After hearing feedback
from our peers, the team recognized that it was crucial to increase
the size of the keys, yet simultaneously decrease the number of keys.
Through performing these changes, the project was better adapted for
those who use their feet on our foot keyboard, since they can
effectively click each button without inferring with other buttons.
In the future, our group is planning to make the design more
aesthetically pleasing, while also creating a functional 3D-printed
feature that allows the user to choose the angle. Ultimately, Max,
Shaurya, Rishi, and I are honored to have had the opportunity to
create such a robust product and look forward to continue working on the
project to help others through our assistive technology device.
