Twinkle Shah | COVID-19 Accessory for Living | Prosthetic Model

Hand Sanitizing Bangle - An Accesory for Living in 2020

Concept

For this model, I decided I wanted to create something that would be useful for people on the go, especially during this Covid-19 season. One of the hassles or worries the global community is facing these days is the issue of contaminating themselves through transferal of germs from public areas to the hands, and then to the face. This is one of the most common ways that people catch the novel Corona Virus. Lately, hand sanitizer has even gone out of stock in most stores due to the high demand for precaution against germs. 

Often times, there is not easy access to hand sanitizer when on the go, causing people to go without disinfecting their hands in public areas, and then ingesting the germs or spreading them more. This is why I wanted to create a device that can address these issues. This device is meant to be worn on the wrists and automatically dispenses hand sanitizer through a simple hand motion, in the right amount and right when you need it. It is also meant to be sleek and pleasing to wear, like jewelry. The 'bangle' is worn around the wrists, and is itself the dispenser of the hand sanitizing liquid, which is filled in an inner tube inside the bangle. 

Here is a conceptual sketch of the product:

Hand Sanitizing Bangle Sketches

Here is my one Massing Model of the product, showing the dominant form of it:

Massing Model Palm Side View

Here are my final renderings of the Hand Sanitizing Bangle:

Hand Sanitizing Bangle Front and Orthographic Views

Hand Sanitizing Bangle in Action Side View

Process 

After I was done with my ideation and sketching, I created my massing model. To create it, I drew a series of curves around a template of a hand, and then projected them onto the wrist. I connected the two sides of the projection with curve arc segments, and joined the pieces to create closed curves that wrap around the wrist. Then, I used the Loft command and created a closed loft using those curves. This massing model basically became the outer part of the bangle, which contained the inner tube. After this, I modified one of the curves I made, and then Piped it--this is how I made the inner tube. Then, with a Boolean Union, I added small cylindrical holes on the two sides that come out of the inner tube and lead out through the outer tube. These are for the hand sanitizing liquid to come out of. To clean it up, I also had to do some Trimming operations to cut a hole out of the outer part of the bangle, and to cut off the excess part of the cylinder which was the tunnel from the inner tube to the outer tube.

After that, I started by chamfering some edges, and filleting the rest. Because it is a piece of jewelry that is worn on the wrist, strong chamfers wouldnt be as comfortable as smoother fillets, so I filleted every edge except 2, which I chamfered. I adjusted the shape of the overall bangle to fit around the wrist a bit better, leaving just enough breathing room in between the wrist and the bangle. 

Materials 

I wanted to keep this product fairly simple so that people do not feel that it clashes with their everyday outfits. It should be a design that is discreet yet also comfortable and pleasing to wear. It should also be made of a material that is water proof and have a durable build, rather than a delicate one. This is why I chose a strong plastic material for both the inner tube and the outer tube. The outer tube is a translucent but dark shade of purple, and the inner tube is a translucent blue shade. This allows the user to be able to tell if the inner tube is running low on hand sanitizer. I think if I were to do this project again, I would dive a bit deeper into how I can make the hand sanitizer cartridge more easily replaceable, similar to how you can replace an ink cartridge in a pen that has run out of ink. This would make this product more practical and enable it to be used for a longer time.