Everyone gets dry skin. In New England, the weather is cold and dry from late October through early April. During those winter months, I start each day with a squirt of hand lotion from the bottle on my bedside table. Inevitably, my hands get dry during the day. I don’t carry a lotion bottle in my pocket for fear of an explosion, so I wait to re-apply at the end of the day.
I wanted a portable, easy way to carry lotion with me. Originally, I imagined a jacket that dispensed lotion through a sleeve, with a reservoir of lotion stored in a breast pocket. However, the jacket would need to be manufactured with the lotion dispenser, so I scrapped that idea.
Through collaboration with my classmates, I came up with the idea of a lotion-filled bracelet. The first prototype was a bead bracelet; each bead would be filled lotion, and could be crushed to dispense the lotion. However, if a user were to lean on his/her wrist, the beads would burst and lotion would get everywhere.
The second prototype was a tube bracelet, featuring a lotion-filled tube that served as a bracelet. It soon became clear, however, that loading the tube would require a syringe, and dispensing the lotion was difficult.
Finally, I came to the early stages of my final design: a bracelet with one central dispenser. I designed and 3D printed a square dispenser, but I had no way of attaching the rubber top, which was essential for dispensing the lotion. Also, it was impossible to reload the lotion once the top was in place.
I moved on to a screw top design, which allowed me to easily reload lotion. I attached the rubber top with silicone sealant, and the rubber was held in place by pressing against the rim of the lotion holder. After many prototypes, I eventually created a design that worked.