Assistive Gardening Technology for Carpal Tunnel
Faculty Mentor
Philip Appel, Benjamin Parrish
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-14-2026 11:30 AM
End Date
4-14-2026 1:30 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Mechanical Engineering and Technology
Abstract
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) can limit wrist mobility and grip strength, restricting participation in repetitive hand-based activities such as gardening. This project aimed to design and evaluate an affordable assistive gardening attachment that maintains a neutral wrist posture while redistributing tool-handling forces to the forearm. The device was developed through an iterative design process beginning with hand sketches and refinement in Fusion360, followed by fabrication of multiple 3D-printed prototypes. The final system combined an adjustable forearm brace with a Picatinny rail and hose-clamp interface so that it could attach securely to a range of existing gardening tools. Evaluation focused on comfort, wrist alignment, and tool stability during basic gardening motions. Users tested successive prototypes, and feedback informed repeated design revisions. The final prototype demonstrated improved comfort, reduced wrist strain, and consistent tool stability without restricting normal forearm movement. These findings indicate that an adaptable, low-cost assistive device can help individuals with CTS continue gardening more safely and comfortably by transferring operational loads away from the wrist.
Recommended Citation
Richards, Addylyn; McBride, Collin; and Lovold, Alexis, "Assistive Gardening Technology for Carpal Tunnel" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 42.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/ps_2026/p2_2026/42
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Assistive Gardening Technology for Carpal Tunnel
PUB NCR
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) can limit wrist mobility and grip strength, restricting participation in repetitive hand-based activities such as gardening. This project aimed to design and evaluate an affordable assistive gardening attachment that maintains a neutral wrist posture while redistributing tool-handling forces to the forearm. The device was developed through an iterative design process beginning with hand sketches and refinement in Fusion360, followed by fabrication of multiple 3D-printed prototypes. The final system combined an adjustable forearm brace with a Picatinny rail and hose-clamp interface so that it could attach securely to a range of existing gardening tools. Evaluation focused on comfort, wrist alignment, and tool stability during basic gardening motions. Users tested successive prototypes, and feedback informed repeated design revisions. The final prototype demonstrated improved comfort, reduced wrist strain, and consistent tool stability without restricting normal forearm movement. These findings indicate that an adaptable, low-cost assistive device can help individuals with CTS continue gardening more safely and comfortably by transferring operational loads away from the wrist.
