Multi-Tool SystemEntry #469

Table of Contents

Phase I

Research

Phase II

Ideation and Study Model

Phase III

Refinement and Final Concept

3 Problem Statement

4 Research

10 Benchmarking

14 Ideation

16 Chosen Concept

18 Study Model

22 Revised Orthographic

24 CAD Modeling

28 User Storyboard

30 Logo Development

31 Presentation Materials

#469

Problem Statement

Homeowners’ garages and sheds can often be cluttered and space is

frequently at a premium. Many tools such as brooms, shovels, mops, and

rakes are required to maintain a house and the property surrounding it and

many of them have long handles which can make them very awkward to

store. They can be hung on the wall, but any wall space below the rack is

wasted. Tools are also a tripping hazard and look disorderly propped in the

corner of the garage. Is there a better way to store long handled tools in

garages and sheds?

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1User Analysis

Based on the findings above, homeowners own the

most tools, showing they have the largest need for

compact tool storage. Even if they have many tools, the

results showed that they were willing to pay only slightly

more for a system that saved space, which meant that

it must be simple to manufacture and efficiently use

materials. Respondents also stated that they would

replace their tools only when the old ones wore out;

showing that the solution should be able to be

purchased as needed and be able to be phased

into the user’s environment.

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Eleven potential

users were given

questionnaires asking

about their usage of

long handled tools.

Average number of

tools owned: 6-10.

Average use: one to

four times a month.

Most used tool is the

broom.

Most were stored in the

garage with some

stored in a closet or

shed.

Majority willing to pay

$10-20 for a product

that aids storage.

Almost no one would

buy a new space

saving tool until their old

ones wear out.

They are willing to pay

10-20% more for a

space saving tool.

Observing Current Storage Environment

Looking at garages, I found the two most common ways to store

tools are to either prop them up against the wall or to hang them

from the wall. Propping them up is a tripping hazard and could

damage the end of the tool. Hanging them on the wall prevents

the utilization of the area below as the handles hang down and

take up space.

Disorganized

and unsightly

Tools could be

damaged

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anized a

nsightlyn

Wasted wall space

Visiting Stores

I took a research trip to local stores to see what they had to offer in terms of space saving tools.

•Wal-Mart had brooms which had heads that screwed off and attached to a handle, but the

overall build quality was poor and dealing with the long handle was still an issue.

•Home Depot only had tools with thick wooden handles, which is most likely meant to give off a

tough, manly branding image, but doesn’t do anything to aid storage

•The Target location I went to did not have any outdoor tools that I could find, but the indoor

mops that they had did not attempt to address storage.

Emphasis on large

beefy handles at

Home Depot

$9.97 at

Walmart

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Online Market Examples

Palmyra

Push Broom

$7.00

Inexpensive,

bristles snap to

the handle

Poor build

quality,

handle

does not

collapse

Bond

Adjustable

Steel Rake

$9.16

Tines collapse,

inexpensive

Tines look

fragile, handle

does not

collapse

Effol

Collapsible

Broom

$18.00

Separates into

storable parts

Plastic handle

can break,

parts can get

lost

Base Runner

Rake

$75.95

Appears

sturdy,

compact

design

Expensive,

parts could

get lost

Name/Price Pros Cons

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Applicable Technology

Screwing on the head

saves space, but could

be tedious.

The Red Cross

distributes clean

up tools with

changeable

heads.

Push button extending rods are

useful, but they are small and

can pinch fingers.

As I searched for usable technologies, I found a few that might be applicable to the project.

•Telescoping rods tend to utilize a push tab locking mechanism, which is sturdy, but fairly difficult

to press due to the small size and the risk of pinching yourself during operation.

•The Red Cross distributes clean up kits with exchangeable broom heads in order to save

transport space, but these kits are not available in the market.

•The screw-on broom heads at Wal-Mart did save some space but the screwing action might

become tedious after repeated operation and a easier to use mechanism might be preferred.

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Environmental and Economic Benefits

Environmental

•Smaller packages reduce

waste and save energy in

the shipping process.

•The product emphasizes

the idea of versatility over

bigger is better.

•The aluminum used in the

telescoping handle is

recyclable and the

modular nature will make

disassembling for recycling

simpler.

Economical

•Having a collapsible set of tools

allows for much more efficient

shipping.

•Combining multiple tools into

one product lowers the overall

cost as less materials are used

to perform the same function.

•The space saving feature is a

selling point that increases the

potential value to consumers.

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Appearance Benchmarking

Personality Form Materials Color Details

Utilitarian,

Basic

Rectilinear,

Follows

Function

Wood,

Metal

Metal,

Wood,

Red

Basic,

Support

Bars

Utilitarian,

Bare Bones

Basic,

Follows

Function

Wood,

Metal

Wood,

Metal

Basic,

No Frills

Gadgety,

Quirky

Asymmet-

rical,

Blocky

Polymer,

Metal

Metal,

Black,

Blue

Telescoping

Handle

Playful,

Inviting

Organic,

Symmetrical

Painted and

Unpainted

Metal

Vibrant

Green,

Metal

Clean,

Painted

Metal

Utilitarian,

Gadgety

Mechanical Metal Metal,

Black

Exposed

Mechan-

isms

Basic,

Everyday

Structural,

Follows

Function

Plastic,

Metal

Black,

Metal

Hand grip,

Ribbed

Tines

Simple,

Playful

Gentle

Curving

Body

Metal,

Transparent

Plastic

Bright,

Clean

Colors on

White

Clean,

Smooth

Finish

Basic Yet

Innovative

Follows

Function

Metal,

Paint

Metal,

Bright

Yellow

Wings

to Hold

Dirt

TARGET AREA

Sturdy,

Inviting,

Friendly

Gentle

Curves,

Flowing,

Intuitive

Aluminum

or Steel,

ABS

Muted

Primaries or

Secondaries

Simple

Controls,

Clean

Surfaces

#469

Appearance Benchmarking

TARGET AREA

Utilitarian Inviting

Fragile

Rugged

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Design Language

Personality: Sturdy, Inviting, Friendly

Form: Gentle Curves,

Flowing and Intuitive

Materials: Aluminum

or Steel with ABS Parts

Color: Muted Primaries

or Secondaries as Accents

Details: Simple Controls,

Clean Surfaces

Rugged Approachability describes the feel of the product as it relates to the user. The personality

of the design must be approachable and friendly so the multiple parts and attachments to the

product will not become intimidating. This is achieved through gently curving forms and inviting

colors. The materials will be durable aluminum and ABS parts that show that even if the design is

compact, it isn’t compromising on durability. The button details will be designed semantically

and will allow the user to instinctively know how the product operates.

RUGGED APPROACHABILITY

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Concept Ideation

At this point I started creating ideation sketches exploring the problem of tool storage

and different ways of compacting a long handle.

One of my concepts

involved a folding

handle based on a

tension wire running

through it.

Another involved a rail on which to hang tool

heads that doubled as a handle.

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Slight TwistSlight TTwwistst Locked

The idea I ended up pursuing uses a single collapsible handle with individual

interchangeable tool heads, all of which are stored on a wall mounted rack.

Collapsible Handle

Swappable

Tool Heads

Wall Mount to Hold Tool Heads

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Heads and handle are held

on wall mounted rack.

Top button collapses handle,

bottom one releases the attached head.

Tabs lock into head until

button is pressed.

releases the a

Heads and handle are held

Tabs loc

button is

Heads and handle are held

on wall mounted rack.

apses han

tached he

n

e

nddnd

ea

d

add.

ddleeeleeleeeee,e,e,

k into head

s pressed.

t untttil

Chosen Concept #469

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Telescoping Switch

Head Release Button

Handle Socket (Integrated into Tool Head)

Head Locking Tabs

Rubberized End Cap

Clips for Heads

Holder for

Collapsed HandleAluminum Handle

Initial Orthographic Views

After finalizing my core concept I created an initial orthographic

rendering and proceeded to make a study model to examine

the human factors and mechanisms involved.

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There are two main interactions required to use this

product: telescoping the handle and

attaching/detaching the tool heads.

The handle slides freely as two nesting tubes until it

reaches maximum extension and the switch locks in. The

switch on the midpoint of the handle must be pressed to

collapse the handle again.

The end of the handle clips into the head and locks in

place. The handle is then bent forward to pry the end

from the wall clip for use. Once the tool is ready to be

put away, the head is pushed back in the clip and the

sliding switch on the handle is pressed to retract the

locking wings and free the handle from the head.

Study Model: Use #469

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The handle is approximately 62 inches long.

This means that for most users the fully

extended handle will reach from the floor

to the head and from the floor to the waist

while collapsed. The handle should be long

enough to effectively use while extended,

but short enough to store easily when col-

lapsed. Overall the final handle should be

about half a foot shorter than on the study

model to fit a larger range of people.

The buttons are placed on the midpoint of

the handle allowing people with smaller

arms to press them and interact with the

end of the handle without having to reach

long distances.

The rack holding the tool heads would be

mounted on the wall just above knee

height to make it easy to insert the handle

into the tool from above.

Study Model: Human Factors #469

The end of the handle has two spring-loaded “wings”

that lock the tool head onto the handle. There is a wire

running from the wings to the recessed side switch in the

middle of the handle (right photo). Sliding the switch will

collapse the wings in order to release the tool head

(middle photo).

The lever switch in the middle of the handle allows it to

collapse to half of its extended length when the lever lifts

a tab out of a hole in the smaller pipe to allow the tube

to slide freely.

Study Model: Mechanisms #469

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Things I observed while

building and testing my

study model:

All of the docking mecha-

nisms work correctly but

the end of the handle

should be tapered to

allow easier docking with

the tool heads.

The handle could use

some kind of internal stop

to prevent the two halves

from coming completely

apart even when the

button is pressed.

I need to investigate

further how the wall

mounted clips are going

to be laid out.

The clips should tilt slightly

forward so the handle

does not need to be flat

against the wall while

docking with the heads,

which will allow the wall

space above it to be

used for storage.

Study Model: Observations #469

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Revised Orthographics

Using what I discovered making my study model, I revised

my Illustrator rendering and began to make a CAD model

in Solidworks.

I changed the wall mounting system to

include separate clip and rail parts to allow

the user to customize the wall storage based

on the number of the tools they have. This

also allows the user to only buy the tools he

needs and to clip new tools on the wall with

the old ones.

While there would be multiple tools that fit this system,

I decided to use the most common tool based on my

research, the broom, as the example of how the system

works, and how the tools would look.

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Rendered ViewRendered View

24

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Injection

Molded

ABS

Injection Molded ABSInjection Molded ABS

Rubberized TPE Endcap

Polypropelene Bristles

Parts in Exploded View

n Molded ABSInjection

Extruded Styrene Rail

Injection Molded Styrene

Extruded Aluminum

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6in

Orthographics/Dimensions

30in

36in2in

30in60in2in

3in

1.8in

18in

1.3in

36in2in

Cross-Sections

.8in

26

Product Mechanisms

Press side button to move slider . . .

. . . which pulls the wire . . .

. . . which folds the wings

on the end of the handle.

Tool heads come with their

own clip, which mount at

any point on the rail.

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Choose Tool

Store Tool

28

User Storyboard

Use Selected Tool

29

HYDRAToolSystem

POLYTOOL POLY SWEEP

HYDRAMulti-HeadedTool System

Cleaning system Cleaning system

Logo Development

For my logo I wanted the name of the product to imply the multi-functionality of the

product. I initially went with Polytool as a name, but I later changed it to Hydra, the

creature from Greek mythology that had two heads grow back for each one you cut

off, which perfectly represents the “multi-headed” tool system.

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Presentation Poster #469

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Appearance Model #469

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Thank you for taking the

time to review my book.