This week’s selection is the practical Wristband Funnel by Tim Postma.
Postma, a long time Fabbaloo reader and commenter, designed the piece as an aid for a certain class of disabled person. He explains:
It’s a speciality funnel with a wrist strap on for both ease of & better access for pouring drinks for people with neurological damage to their hands for example people with strokes, spinal injuries, ALS or other motorskill impairments to the hands.
Those with such impairments do have limited motor skills and are able to perform coarse movements, often with some shakiness. This is an issue when dealing with fine work, or handling liquids, which is where the Wristband Funnel comes in.
The funnel is just that: a funnel. But it is equipped with a flange designed to accommodate a standard elastic strap. The wearer attaches the funnel to the strap and now can more easily maneuver the funnel to the appropriate pouring position.
Postma has open sourced this item and posted it on Pinshape for everyone to use, and I hope you do.
I suspect that almost everyone has a relative or friend who may be in this condition and could benefit from using the Wristband Funnel.
One caution, however: it’s possible to 3D print this item quite easily, but ensuring it is food safe – for the liquids – may not be as simple. While you might find food safe filament to 3D print this item, and even 3D print it on a food safe printer, the porous layers are more than likely going to pick up some bacteria after use, which could be quite difficult to eliminate.
If you intend on 3D printing this for a friend, I recommend you seal the print with a few coats of an appropriate sealant to ensure it is food safe before gifting it to them.
Via Pinshape
