Medicine bottles tend to be difficult to open to prevent small children from accidentally tampering with the medicine. The cap might be difficult to rotate or may need to be pressed down while being rotated. These tasks are difficult for those people who may have arthritis, reduced grip strength, general muscle weakness, cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) of the upper extremeties, cerebral palsy (CP), muscular dystrophy (MD), and other disabilities.
Several different bottle opening devices are commercially available and may be effective for certain individuals, but none of the devices reviewed eliminated the required grasping and twisting motions.
A device was designed to address the grasping and twisting requirements, incorporating levers. Two horizontal plates lined with hight grip rubber stabilize the bottle and provide friction for twisting the cap. One lever is connected to the bottom plate to raise it to the appropriate height and press the bottle up against the top plate. The top plate is rotated in the horizontal plane by a bearing in its center.
(No cost analysis included)
This design could be applied on a larger scale to open household jars and bottles. This design would benefit people with arthritis, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or other disabilities that cause weakness in the hands and wrists.
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