CozyComb

Credit to Luke Sun, Logan Sumida, Bethelehem Yohanes, Jingyi Li, Eve Nguyen

Summary (TLDR)

Designed and deployed a modular sensory regulation tool for the Charlottesville Adaptive Recreation Center, aiding in the accomedation of neurodivergent individuals and reducing the number of items carried by staff from 20+ to 1.

Skills

Onshape
Laser cutting (acrylic and wood)
Bambu Studio
Bambu Lab P1S
Heat Set Inserts
Magnet Embedding

Client-Based Design
Generating Needs and Requirements
Geometric + Electrical Architectures

Context and Problem Definition

Charlottesville Adaptive Recreation fosters independence for neurodivergent individuals; however, sensory overload remains a significant barrier at their events. While indoor centers provide quiet zones for recovery, outdoor and off-site venues lack these spaces, leading to escalating participant distress and potential safety risks. Before, staff members managed sensory overload in participants by carrying a bulky, unorganized bag of sensory tools to makeshift quiet areas. This approach was inefficient, limited participants' ease of selecting tools, resulted in frequent equipment damage during transportation, and required heavy reliance on staff for use.

The previous sensory regulation system

Project Needs (expand)

Determining Needs

Meeting with the client: We had a site visit to one of the Charlottesville Adaptive Recreation Centers and met with our client to discuss the current situation in more depth. We asked follow-up questions to better understand existing challenges, what sensory tools were already being used, and what an ideal solution would look like. This feedback helped define key user priorities.
Observing current state: The existing sensory setup was evaluated to identify which of the current elements were effective and which areas required improvement. This helped to clarify which functions of the setup should be maintained and what areas the design focus should be on.
Research: Research was conducted on existing sensory boards, fidgets, and sensory tools to identify useful design features, limitations, and materials in current products. This research helped determine which design elements could be adapted into the final design.

Needs

Be lightweight: A lightweight design makes it easy to carry on field trips and be picked up by small children without fatigue.
Be easy to setup/pack: Users need to access the product as quickly as possible to prevent further escalation. Additionally, efficient packing is important so staff can rejoin the group quickly.
Be intuitive to use: The user should understand how to interact with each module without instruction, especially because their mind may be clouded when using the design under emotional duress.
Be durable: The product needs to withstand daily use and transport without degrading in quality.
Be aesthetically appealing: Makes the product more appealing to users, increasing their enjoyment.
Be safe to use: Users can be young children, participants with disabilities, or participants in emotional distress, so it’s crucial to ensure the product is safe to use for all users.
Be accessible: There is a large variety of users with different physical capabilities, and the product must be able to address all of them.
Be space-efficient: Sensory modules should maximize the number of sensory tools per module. This allows the product to be compact while giving as many choices as possible to participants.
Be accommodating: The sensory device must be able to meet a variety of different sensory needs.

The CozyComb Design

The Base Subsystem

Allows seven sensory modules to connect for easy organization and portability.
Composed of laser-cut wood to guide the module into place and base inserts with embedded magnets to keep it attached.
- Embedded magnets were chosen over Velcro or a mechanical locking mechanism because it has a extremely long lifespan and have no moving parts.
The base subsystem also includes the outer tote bag, which the whole is placed in for convenient carrying for events.

The Modules Subsystem

7 unique modules each targetting a different sensory need
- Scent, tactile, fidget, breathing, squishy, auditory, and storage
- These sensory needs were chosen by meeting with the client and determining which senses are the most essential
7 embedded magnets on the bottom of each module to securely connect to the base
12 magnets in the lid (for those that apply) to keep contents strongly in place

Credit to Logan Sumida for the drawing

Scent:

Targets the olfactory sense
A scent packet is loaded inside of the module and then fastened in place
- Screws with heat set inserts were used here so that staff could easily replace scent packets but general users could not without tools
Splits into two halfs so that the user can individually smell each scent
- Attached with embedded magnets

Fidget:

Kinetic, repetitive motion to help with focus and release stress
Chose COTS switches and buttons over custom components to maximize longevity
Attached securely in place with a glued back panel to prevent tampering

Breathing:

Used to teach proper breathing techniques
Features a visual representation with LED's and LCD screen
Features auditory instructions ("breathe in, hold, breathe out")

Tactile:

Includes various calming textures
Has additional storage where different tactile items can be placed

Squishy:

Squeezing, kneading, and pulling provide a more physical outlet
Squishy toys placed inside a box with a clear acrylic lid so that users can easily see it's contents

Auditory:

Those with auditory under-responsiveness can engage with these items in a non-destructive way to others
Built with laser-cut acrylic and wood, with different particles inside (beads, beans, rocks, buttons) to give different sound profiles to the user

Concept of Operations (credit to Logan Sumida)

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse