Ergonomic Book Holder

Time Frame: May-August 2008

The Problem: For the elderly and disabled, it is often difficult to perform the simplest tasks, such as holding a book comfortably and painlessly. For individuals with illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease and MS, such tasks are nearly impossible. Is there a device that can be created to help such individuals perform this task easily and anywhere around the house?

Requirements: 

• Adjustable
  • Able to flexibly pan and tilt, adjust in x, y, and z directions
• Self-Supportable
• Easy to put away and store
• Transportable
• Able to keep pages flat on the surface
• Space-efficient
• Able to support large variety of book sizes and weights

Concepts: 

Bendable metal arm for adjustment of height and reach.

Telescoping arm for increased reach and a jack-in-the-box concept for height adjustment. Stores well into a small box.

Telescoping arm and height adjuster and pivoting book holder surface allows for adjustments to any room and any situation. Magnetic straps hold the book pages in place and an attached light illuminates the book surface.

The Prototype: The final design was chosen to be the telescoping arm and height adjuster with the magnetic strips to hold the book.

The Report

A project completed with Rabia Aslam, Tom Chu, Kevin Kwong, Yahya Remtulla, and Vanessa Yip.