Abergele inventor's EasyKey is a big help for elderly

Jun 25 2009 by David Simister, North Wales Weekly News

AN innovative Abergele inventor who wants to make life easier for the elderly has been selected to showcase his gadget at a London design show.

Eifion Davies, of Fox Hole, will be heading to the capital on July 16 to represent University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC) with the EasyKey, an innovative product which enables elderly and disabled people to open doors more easily.

“It’s a big honour for me, and I’m really looking forward to heading to London and making a few contacts in the industry,” said Mr Davies.

“As a product the EasyKey is very functional and obviously has to be easy to use, but it’s also been important to get the look right. People don’t want disability products to look like they’re disability products.”

The invention, which has beaten off 10 rival products from other students to be chosen as UWIC’s best example of its Product Design and Engineering course, will be displayed at the New Designers Show alongside entrants from colleges and universities across the UK, and will be brought to the attention of industry representatives from across Britain and abroad.

“Inclusive design is a difficult subject to tackle and Eifion decided upon solving the problem of unlocking the front door. A task that is simple for you and I yet difficult for someone with restricted hand movements and poor dexterity. His final solution is extremely simple yet really effective,” said Bethan Gordon, Programme Director of Product Design at UWIC.

“His solution has been designed for manufacture and thoroughly tested on a range of users and has been styled to please everyone, making this a truly inclusive design.”

Mr Davies, 21, said the device is designed to appeal not only to the elderly but also users who live with a number of disabilities, including rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s Disease, and those who are partially sighted.

Among its design features are a funnel which can feed keys into door locks, and LED lighting to aid use at night and for partially-sighted users.

Jo Bennett, Creative Director of Tigerprint, is one of the industry executives who is supporting the show, and said new designs were hugely important for gauging the latest in British talent.

“It’s the best place to see the cream of UK creative graduates under one roof,” she said.

The New Designers Show 2009 takes place from July 12 in central London. Visit newdesigners.com for more information.