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 PACKAGE

 

 

 

 

What is PACKAGE?

PACKAGE (Provision for improved lifestyles via Access to Consumer pacKAGEs) is a three year project concerned with the problems associated with packaging that affect

·         people with impaired hand function

·         people with impaired vision

·         people with special dietary needs

 

 

 

Why has the European Commission funded the PACKAGE project?

European citizens live in a consumer society in which products, particularly foodstuffs and household detergents are packaged in plastic containers and glass jars for sale in supermarkets and foodstores. The packaging industry for these products has provided major benefits for able-bodied people because these packages are convenient, hygienic and safe. Unfortunately however, current trends in packaging design have disadvantaged the following three categories of disabled and elderly members of society;

 

(1)    People with Impaired Hand Function

People with impaired hand function have serious difficulty opening packages. The majority of packages have screw-caps which are opened with a grip and twisting action, which are the same movements that are most difficult for people with weak hands and painful joints. Examples of packages that are difficult to open include;

·         Bottles with carbonated fluid and internal gas pressure

·         Jars with vacuum seals to preserve food freshness

·         Containers with potentially dangerous substances (such as medicines and household cleaning detergents) which include childproof caps that have to be pressed down or squeezed before they can be twisted open.

 

(2)    People with Impaired Vision

With the exception of bottles which contain strong bleaches, packages do not include Braille labels, yet a bottle of lemonade ‘feels’ the same as a bottle of detergent. People with impaired vision have difficulty distinguishing between different packages.

 

(3)    People with Special Dietary Needs

Elderly people may require to monitor their diet, particularly those with diabetes. Unfortunately, elderly people are often confused and forgetful, so they may accidentally consume unsuitable foods, even though their ingredients may be printed on the packaging labels. Others have impaired vision and are unable to read the small lettering on the labels.

 

People with hemiplegia, typically caused by the effects of a stroke, are disadvantaged because packages must be secured with two hands for opening. It is also worth stating that one tenth of the European population is automatically disadvantaged because they are left-handed. Packages with twist-tops are opened in a counter-clockwise direction, which favours right-handed people.

 

 

 

What are PACKAGE’s aims?

The project has two aims, namely

·         the application of the ‘design-for-all principle’

·         the development of new technical products to assist people with impaired hand function, people with impaired vision and people with special dietary needs.

 

 

 

Application of the ‘design-for-all principle’

A first aim of the project is the application of ‘design-for-all’ principles to improve consumers’ abilities to open packaging and identify their contents. The underlying philosophy of ‘design-for-all’ is the introduction of changes – often very small changes – into the designs of consumer products so that the greatest number of members of society can use them. Some changes may seem trivial and unimportant to able-bodied people but they can have an enormous effect on the lifestyles of elderly and disabled. For instance,

 

·         People with arthritis may be unable to open doors that have round knobs which require a tight grip and twisting action but may be able to open doors that have push-down handles with low internal spring stiffness;

·         Telephones with a dimple on the ‘5’ button assist people with impaired vision to identify keypad numbers;

·         Electrical appliances with large handles can be used by people with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

 

Nearly all package tops are round so they are difficult to grip with the variety of opening aids presently available on the market. Some packages have ‘non-round’ tops on products such as paper-whitener so that able-bodied people can get a better grip when the top sticks to its base. Wider use of hexagonal tops on packaging would benefit people with poor grip and they could also open avenues for introducing improved, simple and low-cost opening aids, which could operate like a spanner on a nut.

 

Another example is the packaging industry’s recent introduction of a new range of tops for drink containers, carried by athletes and cyclists. A sportsperson can open these tops by pulling them with his/her teeth, and close them by pushing the tops against the chin. Only one hand is needed to hold the bottle; the other is available for running balance or controlling the bicycle. The market demand made by sportspeople upon the packaging industry, to be able to open a container with one hand, has fortuitously benefited people with hemiplegia such as victims of cerebral vascular accidents (strokes).

 

The project partnership believes that these are only two examples of the wider opportunities that are available for introducing minor design changes to provide significant gains for consumers, in the application of the ‘design-for-all principle’.

 

 

 

Why should the packaging industry be interested?

It can be imagined that package manufacturers would revise their package designs, provided this were done in the context of widening consumer bases to include greater numbers of disabled and elderly people.

 

We are realistic!  It is unlikely that individual manufacturers would be prepared to absorb the costs associated with the introduction of new production machinery, unless commercial benefits accrue. The project will provide market data. It will include a study of both current user needs and a concise description of the quantified benefits for introducing new types of package tops, which could be used to influence manufacturing practices.

 

 

 

Will the PACKAGE project produce new products?

Yes, we will make three advanced products, which have been given the provisional names TELE-HAND, MAGIC-HAND and POWER-HAND that can be used in the home to assist people with people with impaired hand function, people with impaired vision and people with special dietary needs with their particular problems.

 

TELE-HAND will take advantage of the enormous potential for extending the use of bar codes to include point–of–use as well as point–of–sale. Bar code technology is well established but it is presently used by retailers and supermarkets alone; the project will demonstrate that the disabled & elderly members of society can also benefit from this technology. TELE-HAND will operate by matching a product’s bar code with a database provided on a WWW-server. It will identify the package and its ingredients, open screw-tops for people with hand disabilities, provide electronic speech (in English, French, Italian and Swedish) to describe the product to a blind person, print labels and it will provide warning of unsuitable ingredients for people with special dietary needs.

 

MAGIC-HAND will be a technically sophisticated device that can be used to open screw-tops. It will incorporate grippers with ‘intelligent’ sensors and controllers, so that it can be operated by people with neurological disorders (Parkinson’s Disease, cerebral palsy, stroke), muscle weakness (motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy), joint pain (osteo-arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, mal-united bone fractures, carpal tunnel syndrome), congenital disorders (arthrogryposis) and disabilities associated with ageing (osteoporosis).

 

POWER-HAND will be a general purpose opening device for packages with screw-tops.

 

 

 

Who are we?

The partnership comprises:

·         Dundee University, UK (the co-ordinating partner)

·         Forschungsinstitut Technologie-Behindertenhilfe, Germany

·         Lund University, Sweden

·         Rehab Robotics Ltd, Stoke, UK

·         Staffordshire University, Stoke, UK

 

We are supported by sub-contractors throughout Europe.

 

The engineering departments of Dundee and Lund Universities will develop the new technical products which will open packages, provide electronic speech, print Braille labels and provide warnings of unsuitable food ingredients.

 

Rehab Robotics Ltd is a leading UK manufacturer of robotic systems for disabled people and is already well known for its successful HANDY 1 robot.

 

Forschungsinstitut Technologie-Behindertenhilfe (FTB) will provide specialist software services.

 

Staffordshire University is responsible for coordinating the activities of the USER GROUP FORUM. 

 

The partnership will work closely SPAR supermarket outlets, in particular Landsburgh Bros Ltd of Carnoustie, UK. It will also work with SPAR supermarkets in France, Germany, Sweden and Italy.

 

Mrs Dorothy Senior will act as an independent packaging consultant.

 

 

 

Do we work with disabled and elderly people?

Yes; the PACKAGE project is unique because it is a user-driven project that includes disabled and elderly people as active participants. It has a USER GROUP FORUM that comprises both user groups and individuals with disabilities. For instance, we are working with the Royal National Institute for the Blind (R.N.I.B.), Age Concern, the M.S. Society, the Stroke Association, amongst many others.

 

 

Who do we want to work with?

The project partnership wishes to work closely with users and the packaging industry, to promote the introduction of new package designs through the application of design-for-all principles.

 

 

The project partners welcome comment. Please feel free to contact: Dr David Carus