SF STATE NEWS -- Design student Lamar Pi earned second prize in the Creative Arts and Design category for MODU, a modular tray system created for older adults with mobility issues.
MODU, which takes design inspiration from the Japanese bento box, focuses on three living environments, the kitchen, the living room and the bathroom, and can be adapted to walkers and wheelchairs, Pi said. The trays can be customized for each person and can assist with meal prep or personal hygiene. “Creating designs and solving problems that can make it easier for elderly people to stay in their homes rather than going into assisted living is something I’m interested in,” he said.
Design and Industry Professor Ricardo Gomes served as an adviser to Pi’s independent study project.
“It’s really meant to be a way of facilitating transferring of tasks or duties that support mobility and stability, because we want to make sure people don’t fall when they have to carry or move things whether it’s from the stove to the sink or the stove to the dining table,” Gomes said. “All of this helps to support independent living at home.”