Third Arm

the new duct tape

An excerpt from my journal: 

Note (1/26/26)

Yesterday, I visited the Dependable Medical Equipment warehouse in Mountllake Terrace. First of all, that place is amazing. This guy, Nathaniel Swenson, gave me a tour around the place. During the tour, I asked him "we have this IB Design & Technology project with the general theme of "food on the go." Do you know of any difficulties related to ALS patients and wheelchairs?" 

Nathan: "Yeah, I know this sounds ridiculous but... CUP HOLDERS." 

Me: "Yessssssssssssssss!!!"

True Story

Then he basically re-iterated my entire idea. Case in point: my invention is approved by a professional in the industry . 

A Short Description 

So, basically, this is "the next duct tape." In IB Design & Technology class, we were given a project with the only specification of "food on the go." We began by listing several issues we had with food, consumption and disposal, while away from home or while moving. A significant problem I had was safely drinking my morning smoothie while driving: frequently I had to lift a smoothie cup from the cup holder, take a sip, and put it down again. This limited me to one hand momentarily for driving. If I just had some sort of "third arm," this issue wouldn't come up. I started a train of thought: there were so many situations that required a "third arm." For example: 

• Holding a smoothie up to your lips while driving 
• Holding an umbrella above a tripod to film while raining 
• Holding a flashlight while doing plumbing work
• Holding a poster/ objects in place for presentation 
• Holding a plate while in a wheelchair
• Just holding objects while in a wheelchair (both your arms are engaged in moving the wheelchair manually, and if you need to hold/ carry something, you can't. You have to balance it or strap it to your torso somehow). 
• Holding cameras 

Some Photos