HYDRiA

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects over 30 million adults across the United States and is typically characterized by pain or aching in the joints, stiffness, decreased range of motion, or even muscle weakness. These impairments, when involving the hand and wrist, result in increased difficulty and pain when attempting to open food packaging such as vacuum sealed jars. Jar opening devices are available at kitchen stores because able bodied persons with the impairments associated with arthritis can have trouble opening jars. However, the current jar opening devices on the market are often insufficient to address the needs of persons with hand and wrist osteoarthritis. Existing devices can be too difficult for these persons to grip to open them, and don’t offer a way to hold and stabilize the jar during the opening process. The HYDRiA aims to stabilize jars of various sizes, while maximizing efficiency of jar opening with minimal grip and torque from the user. Yet, the solution is completely body powered, can stabilize the jar without the user holding it, and not occupy too much counter space in the design kitchen.

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