TraySafe
A walker-mounted tray and cup holder that allows reverse walker users to carry items while moving
Skills: Human-centered design (interviewing, observation, testing), design research, sketching, CAD modeling, 3D printing, prototyping, laser cutting
Project Type: Course Project,
Group of 4
Timeline: 10 weeks (2025)
Our Problem
Colleen has cerebral palsy and uses a reverse walker to support herself as she walks. She requires both hands to operate the walker. As a result, she cannot carry items that need to be easily accessible or upright.
How might we design a walker-mounted, adjustable, and removable device that can hold various items such as plates of food, water bottles, and cleaning supplies
User Requirements
We interviewed and observed Colleen at her workplace, pinpointing 3 major requirements for our design.
Stable: Remains steady under weight, preventing objects from falling
Unobtrusive: Does not interfere with the user’s ability to operate the reverse walker
Ergonomic: Designed for left-hand dominance
Ideation
We collectively ideated 100 ideas based on user requirements and prototyped 3 designs.
Rapid Prototypes
Palette Tray
❌ Too small
Cup Holder
✅ Unobtrusive
Palette Tray
✅ Compartments
These 3 designs were all personally tested by Colleen, she liked the compartments of the tray and the designated cup holder for her bottles.
Final Design
TraySafe consists of a removable tray and a cup holder that mounts directly to a reverse walker.
The cup holder stabilizes bottles, while the tray uses custom compartments and a Dycem mat to keep objects from shifting.
Rubber feet allow the tray to stay stable when detached and set on a surface.
Manufacturing
Tray: Black spray painted plywood cut with universal laser with a food-safe polyurethane sealant.
Cup Holder: Blue and Black PLA 3D printed using a Bambu X1-C Printer.
Assembly: Mounted the bracket to the cup holder, attached the clamp, and installed the full assembly onto the walker. Nuts and bolts were added to the tray to create the twist-and-lock mechanism.
How to use Traysafe
Takeaways
This project taught me how to design an accessibility device from the ground up for a specific user. I strengthened my Solidworks and 3D-printing skills, learned to work with plywood and laser cutters, and explored color, material, and finish. I also gained valuable experience collaborating within a team to bring a product from concept to prototype.
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