Pageturner Design Team

By Rich Mahoney

The Consumer Innovation Laboratory proudly announces the formation of the Pageturner Design Team. With all due respect to the current line-up of commercial pageturners, the goal of the Pageturner Design Team is to create a next generation pageturner that works reliably, as well as meets the real needs of consumers. Although much effort has gone into the development of pageturners in the past, there is some consensus among people who would benefit from a pageturning device that existing machines do not work reliably, have a limited number of features, and are prohibitively expensive. Given the amount of effort that has gone into the development of previous machines, this project represents a real challenge for the consumer-driven design philosophy of the Consumer Innovation Laboratory.

Unlike other design teams, the Pageturner Design Team has received input from a product manufacturer from the beginning. This is due to the fact that Maddak, Inc. is a part of the team, and has already made a corporate decision to redesign their existing pageturning device. Maddak, Inc., is based in Pequannock, New Jersey and is the largest single manufacturer of rehabilitation equipment in the United States. Adam Krass, Maddak's product development manager, has made a commitment to work with the Consumer Innovation Laboratory and to share resources where appropriate to create the best pageturning device possible.

The Pageturner Design Team held its first meeting on May 31 and has been meeting regularly every other Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:30 in the conference room at ASEL. The team consists of approximately 15 individuals with a wide range of talents and interests. To date:

• A first draft of a product design specification has been created;
• Evaluation of several commercial pageturners has taken place;
• A patent investigation has been initiated;
• Discussion has been held regarding possible administration of a questionnaire. Some questions would focus on how people (both those with and without disabilities) handle pageturning without a pageturning device.

There is much work still to be accomplished in this project. If you are interested in becoming involved or in sitting in on a meeting, please contact Rich Mahoney at 302-652-6833. The project is being logged on the World Wide Web. Those with access to the Internet may wish to view the project progress by tuning into Web site, http://www.asel.udel.edu/robotics/conlab/pageturner/pageturner.html.

For more information, check out the Pageturner Design Team Home Page.