Help Marc to don his mask independently

About Marc

Marc was born in 1966 in Lausanne with cerebral palsy and is thus dependent on an electrical wheelchair. Today, he lives in Schönbühl (BE). He works as an employee of a big company in digital marketing. In his freetime, he is a passionate chess player. He competes in team championships with the chess club Köniz Bubenberg and single tournaments. Since 2011 he also plays international tournaments abroad. He also likes football and traveling.

Challenge

Currently, in many places we’re obliged to wear masks. Since, due to his movement impairments, Marc is dependent on help to don his Marks, e.g., in the office, he always has to ask colleagues. Therefore, it would be a great relief for him if he could do this independently with a technical aid. He is convinced that we will find a good solution together!

Solution

Right from the start, the interdisciplinary team tried to find different strategies and ideas on how to don (and doff) a hygiene mask with one hand only. Based on Marc's capabilities, it was clear that the assistive solution needed to be easy to handle, and require as little dexterity and range of motion as possible. Through multiple iterations that included intense discussions and tryouts with Marc, two fully 3D-printed systems emerged. System #1 is a rigid frame, which can be used to guide the elastics from the masks around Marc's ears. System #2 uses the elastic characteristics from the mask-elastics in combination with a flexible frame. By pushing the face into the 3D-printed frame, both ends of the mask connect via magnets behind Marc's head. Marc now has both systems at home, and continues to practice their usage. In case he likes adjustments, or a systems breaks, the team can easily print a new version and send it to him.