Our Prototypes:
#1 Easy to Use Cheese Grater
This prototype of the Easy to Use Cheese Grater features the cheese grater with suction cup feet at the base. It also has the dish for catching food as a removable accessory on the bottom. One of the challenges I didn’t think about was the stability of the grater during use. I was able to slice into the cheese but for anything more difficult to cut the grater sways and leans too much. This would make shredding carrots or slicing cucumbers too difficult with the current iteration. The goal was to make a product that allows shredding and slicing with one arm easy and this is a step in the right direction but there are a number of improvements to be made. Making the grater shorter and giving it a perfectly square base would increase stability by lowering the center of gravity and creating a wider base. This would also allow for four suction cup feet as opposed to the two currently being used.
#2 Pegboard with Removable Pegs
Here we have a prototype of a pegboard with removable pegs. The purpose of the removable pegs is to be able to determine the amount of space you want between your pegs according to the size of the object you would like on your pegboard. Additional, we have an adjustable clamp. This allows the individual to adjust the distance inside of the clamp based on the size of the object they are trying to clamp. While the prototype here is simply made out of cardboard, the real product would be made out of high quality wood or plastic and would be machine washable.
#3 Pegboard with Clickable Pegs
My attempt at creating this pegboard with “click-able” pegs (spring powered) with a section for cutting coupled with a tray is portrayed above. The most difficult thing I found when prototyping this was the spring loaded pegs (which I could not create effectively with this prototype). The board works with the pegs (aka cue-tips in this case) all lined up in the box ready to be click-pushed to raise each individual peg. The blades for cutting (made from coke can) are designed in a way to simply run a vegetable, fruit, or any other type of produce back and forth upon it for thin-sliced pieces. The pieces then fall into the side drawer (5 gum) where they can be easily accessible with a simple pull of said door. This prototype is far from perfect but displays my ideas soundly and visibly.
#4 Hanging Neck Basket
The hanging neck basket is perfect for anyone who requires extra support to carry around multiple kitchen utensils or heavy pots and pans. This iteration comes with a rough outline of the storage compartments that can be used to hold various spices, knives, jars, etc, and can be removed/moved around to accommodate the user. The basket also has a curved back lined with padding for a snug, comfortable fit against the user’s waist. This prototype is made out of cardboard, the actual product would be made of a strong plastic with slots to hold the dividers, as well as an adjustable strap.
#5 Rolling Table with Adjustable Height
My attempt while creating a physical prototype was to demonstrate how the product works and show different heights because that is the entire purpose and value of the table. I created two tables with the same dimensions except I extended the table legs so the consumer can see what it looks like at both heights and how it would work. I added a few pots and pans to show that items can be raised and lowered with ease, and wheels at the bottom so you can transport the table around the kitchen.