Designer Kong Fei was considering comfort and accessibility when she dreamed up the Bamboo and Rattan Crutch. This Red Dot Design Award winner is intended specifically to assist poorer communities in Africa by offering them the guidance to assemble their own walking canes from readily available materials and for very little cost, if any.
Rattan and bamboo can both be found throughout the continent as fast-growing and sustainable plants. The thinner palm stems require some steaming, bending and molding, but then they're ready to be inserted into the hollowed woody grass. Bicycle tire inner tubes can often be found lying about, and these make great stoppers. They can bind the Bamboo and Rattan Crutch effectively to facilitate sturdiness and to fix it to the user's required size.
Sustainable Walking Sticks
The African Bamboo and Rattan Crutch Can Be Made Cheaply and Locally
Trend Themes
1. Sustainable Mobility Aids - Opportunity for designers to create affordable and locally sourced mobility aids made from sustainable materials.
2. Community Empowerment Through Design - Designers can create instructional designs and kits to enable communities to create their own products from locally available materials.
3. Environmental Consciousness in Design - Designers can incorporate sustainable materials and methods in their creations to reduce waste and protect the environment.
Industry Implications
1. Medical Devices - Design and manufacture of affordable and sustainable mobility aids for people with disabilities.
2. Home Improvement - Production of instructional designs and kits for DIY home projects using sustainable materials.
3. Sustainable Agriculture - Use of bamboo and rattan in farming tools such as trellises and supports to promote the use of sustainable materials.