A student has created a magnetic walking stick after seeing his partner struggling while trying to use a standard one.
The BBC reported that Sean Guyett, a design student at Nottingham Trent University, had noticed how standard walking sticks often fell to the floor while their owner did other tasks.
He came up with the idea of using removable magnetic pads which attach to clothing and mean the stick can be secured without being held.
Sean created a clip that hooks onto the top of a pair of trousers and another magnet that attaches to a small steel plate and can be placed underneath clothing such as trousers or dresses.
The stick, which has a lightweight aluminium pole as well as three different designs of handles and bases, can attach to both clothing magnets or be secured against any other metal surface and easily pulled away.
The BBC said Sean was inspired by his partner Ora Hambleton after seeing the difficulties which she and other disabled people experienced trying to use walking sticks as part of their everyday lives.
Sean, who comes from Uxbridge, told the BBC his aim was to support people who found themselves “designed out” of the wider world.
The BBC reported that Sean was particularly interested in helping people of working age having noted the “low employment figures” among people who have a disability. The BBC quoted government figures to show that almost half of people who have a disability are unemployed compared to 18 per cent of non-disabled people.
Sean told the BBC he met people with a range of disabilities to gain a greater understanding of their experiences. He said he found walking sticks did not “integrate very well” into people’s lives and sometimes became “a hindrance”, with sticks being difficult to use on buses and often falling over when propped against a wall or a counter.”
Sean said: “I wanted to create something to show how we can design away many of the common problems that are faced by people who have to rely on a walking stick.”
Ora added: “Sean’s design means that I don’t have to be worried about taking my stick out with me anymore because I know it will accommodate my needs in the moment.”
