Empathy Pen
Inclusive learning tool
2020
Empathy pen is made for people to first hand experience tremor, a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease.
Empathy Pen
It can be difficult for Parkinson’s sufferers to openly express about their conditions and for the listeners to resonate and empathise with the struggles. To break the barrier and to ease tension, the empathy pen is presented in a friendly and approachable way for people from range of age to learn about tremor, one of the main symptoms of Parkinson’s. Using the tool will be the starting point of learning empathy.
The familiar tool of a pen will give an impression that the object is easy to use. As a person turns on the button, the pen starts to shake. It will create stimulation of tremor, make writing difficult. The process of using the pen will enable a person to understand what it feels like to write with tremors and difficulties Parkinson’s sufferer goes through.
Who Is It For?
Firstly, it is for people whose loved ones are diagnosed with the Parkinson’s and they want to learn about the condition.
Secondly, it is for the use in education where students and teachers (or anyone interested in the topic) can learn about empathy through experiencing the condition in health class or workshops.
Importance Of Empathy
Conventional methods to inform about the disease is through reading texts or hearing diagnosis informations from health professionals. Although it is informative and gives fundamental knowledge, it does not make the given facts vivid and relatable unless the person is diagnosed with the disease.
Learning empathy through tools that can give users first hand experience will enable people to fully comprehend the condition and build sympathy towards the other person. Having to strongly believe that high moral is being intuitive, empathy is extremely important in education. If a problem can relate to a person, it can motive him or her to become a better individual who can build a healthier relationship within the family and the community.
Dear Grandpa, From Grandson
Closeup writings from users.
Parts Consist Of :
The rudimentary shape and yellow-white color are made to give an approachable impression. The pen is made interchangeable for parts such as ink, battery and mini motor to be easily replaced for the overall pen to be long lasting.
The Form
1) Pom Pom 2) Turn Stick 3) Fixer 4) Motor Case Stick 5) Mini Motor 6) 9V Battery Case 7) Battery 8) Fixer 9) Pen Ink 10 ) Pen Case
Material:
Abs plastic for the casing 83%. Metal components 10%. Cotton yarn for pom pom 5%. Rubber coating for wire 2%.
Why Pom Pom?
Not only is the pom pom for the warm aesthetics, but also it is used for safety. The shake of the pen is caused by the unbalancedness of the motor, which is placed slightly off centre from the main core pen. The turn stick needs to continuously rotate like a fan for the motor to produce tremor. For safety reasons, pom pom is attached at the end of the turn stick for injury prevention.
