Landor & Fitch, a San Francisco-based brand consulting firm, has developed a solution to make oral care accessible to people with dexterity issues. The company has created 3D printed toothbrush mods that are customizable and compatible with both manual and electric toothbrushes.
Product innovation design director Jack Holloway said the idea for the toothbrush holder came about when the team learned that 360 million people around the world deal with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and tremors from daily, making it difficult for them to hold standard toothbrushes. Holloway found that people with dexterity issues often create “hacks” to make oral care easier, such as adding tennis balls and string to increase grip on the toothbrush surface.
To develop the product, the design studio assembled a maker’s lab with ten participants between the ages of 19 and 67, each facing a different skill problem, allowing them to test early prototypes and provide feedback. on different adapters.
When a customer visits your website, they will go through a diagnostic journey of several questions to identify what shape, width, and texture of an adapter will best suit their needs. Users can mix and match seven different shapes, three width diameters, and four textures to create the best option for a manual or electric toothbrush. The adapters will be made of a resin-based plastic that meets the health requirements for oral care products.
Currently unsold, the company expects the cost to manufacture a single product to be less than £40 (US$49). Landor & Fitch is committed to moving forward with the project and sees potential beyond oral care, which could “change many people’s lives.”
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