Development of a One-Handed Nail Clipper for Stroke Survivors
By Carhart, Christopher; Ciechowski, Rafal; Groat, Doug; Stevans, Alyson; Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 156-159Publication Date: March-April 2008
Paper outlines the development and user testing of a hand-and-foot operated nail clipper for persons with hemiparesis and other stroke-related disabilities such as weak upper extremities, spasticity, and vision problems. The Step ‘n Snip was developed by a design team of students in an Engineering Design and Communication course at Northwestern University. The device consists of a fingernail clipper mounted on an inclined, rotatable metal rod and attached via a long steel bike brake cable to a foot pedal used to actuate the clipper. The clipper is fitted with a nail-clippings collection system. The pedal is mounted on a base shaped to provide a nesting space for the clipper frame during storage; the two parts are kept together by a swiveling clip. The user adjusts the rotational angle of the clipper via a large knob at the end of the metal rod, then places or guides the nail to be clipped into the clipper and activates it by pressing down on the foot pedal. User testing was conducted to evaluate ease of setup and use and to receive design feedback. This research was supported by a U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research grant.
Published by: Thomas Land Publishers, Inc. (Website:http://www.thomasland.com)
National Stroke Association (Web Site: http://www.stroke.org )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J54333
