Occupational therapy got a fun, fishy twist at Ada Elementary, thanks to the “Guppy Grip,” a child-friendly hand therapy device created by «Ӱҵ mechanical engineering students Maria Geiger and Olivia “Liv” Mueller.
The pair spent the academic year developing the portable device that strengthens both flexion and extension muscles in the hand.
“Sometimes young children who are struggling with hand dexterity don’t understand why they have to sit around and do hand strengthening exercises,” said Maria. “Our aim was to get kids excited to go to therapy, and hopefully also boost their confidence as they become more engaged in the exercises.”
The inspiration for the Guppy Grip came from a hand therapy device developed last spring by another «Ӱҵ engineering team in a Foundations of Design 2 course. Maria and Liv saw an opportunity to adapt and improve the prototype, tailoring it for young children as part of their Engineering Projects for Community Service (EPICS) course.
“I liked the creative freedom we had to try new things and figure out what worked and what didn’t through experience,” said Liv.
To make sure the project would meet client needs, Maria and Liv obtained feedback from experts: Nichole Dearth, occupational therapist at Ada Elementary, Jessica Peters, occupational therapist at Great Day Academy, and Cheyenne (Raker) Townson, BSME ’18, an «Ӱҵ alumna and professional toy designer.
Cheyenne encouraged them to infuse the design with a storyline, so children would feel like they were playing instead of doing therapy.
“We decided on a pond theme,” said Maria. “We have little fish sliders, which is where you place your fingers, and engraved worms and flies at the end of each path. The base has a grass texture and the lid has a stone and rock texture.”
Liv added that the eight sliders have adjustable resistance and rotate around challenging tracks that require the user to move the finger in a variety of directions as they seek to bring the “fish” to the worms and flies. “We spent weeks perfecting the sliders, including figuring out how to use springs to create more resistance through friction.”
To test the concept, the pair brought a prototype into a classroom.
“Almost immediately, the kids started playing with it, which was really cool to see,” said Maria.
Maria and Liv appreciated the chance to build skills in engineering design and 3D modeling and printing, all while making a product that will help children in the Ada community.
“One of my many outside hobbies is art, so being able to combine art and math to create the design was super fun for me,” said Maria. “I’m really proud of the work Liv and I put into this project.”