In collaboration with Aliza
A restatement of #goals: The goal of the product is to allow people with reduced grip strength to row comfortably and safely for an extended period of time.
- Add more parameters to the specifications including escape time (seconds, <2), etc.
- Clarification of “Maximum Force Applied”– Basically, this asks what is the maximum force the oar can place on the grip aid without it being ripped off the user’s hand
- Elastic band at the bottom of the device was widely received as a good idea to keep the grip aid from slipping too far
- There were several reported concerns about possible constriction from the extended grip aid on the wrist; I think if we use a light, breathable material that is similar to spandex, it will feel more like a second skin rather than a cumbersome second layer (we’ll consult Priscilla and her friend for more information)
- We won’t really experiment with the idea of the full glove grip aid; we went into the gallery walk knowing that we more than likely weren’t going to use this design
Aside from observations from the gallery walk, I thought that potentially using two velcro straps rather than one will make the hand portion cinch tighter. In order to ensure that the grip aid doesn’t slide up, we’ll need to extend the fabric to cover at minimum a small portion of the wrist and cinch at the wrist.
The feedback from last year’s model was very positive. The oar grip portion of the device was well received by the rowers which is why we didn’t elect to change the rubberized part. The elastic band that secures the rower’s fingers to the oar grip will be updated and made more secure. Ultimately, I think the fingerless grip aid with elements of the extended grip aid will be the best way to approach redesigning the hand portion of the FGA.
I like the idea of using two velcro straps rather than one to better secure the glove! I do worry about whether even spandex will be light enough around the wrist based on the general preference of rowers to have their wrists’ unencumbered.