The challenge

A wheelchair user was a keen dressmaker but she could no longer use her feet to control her sewing machine. Operating the foot pedal with her elbow was not satisfactory as it required strong and constant pressure.

A hand control box was designed to replicate the functions of the foot pedal, with on/off operation and speed selectable, and easily changed, by hand. The sewing machine required a set sequence of operations to start, that a simple on/off switch could not supply. The sewing machine can be used by hand control, which in this case has been a boon to the client, quote: ‘I can now sew straight’.