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Everyone deserves access to competitive sports. In collaboration with Special Olympics Oregon (SOOR), I and two other designers were given the brief to design an adaptive tool to aid those with cerebral palsy and other musculoskeletal conditions in playing Competitive Cornhole with minimal outside help. We conducted research together while working with a local special education program and developed our mechanisms independently.
This tool is meant to level the playing field. With any other solution, there would need to be a separate league for players with a launcher. There are an estimated 12 people in the state of Oregon who would qualify to use a launcher. This mechanism allows players with very limited abilities to play alongside those in the standard adaptive league, uniting the community and promoting inclusivity even further.
my role
Industrial Designer
Research conducted with Morgan Nguyen and Kailey Chaffee
project
BFA Studio II
timeline
10 Weeks
tools
Adobe Suite
Rhino
Keyshot
Figma
BambuLab
Woodshop
Objectives
Fully adjustable arc, force, and angle of the launch
Fits inside of a standard pitcher's box (4'x3')
Throws far enough to comply with the standard adapted regulations
Able to throw a standard size and weight of beanbag (16oz)
Completely analog with no motorized or electronic parts
Simple to operate without compromising efficacy
How might we create an adaptive tool for competitive cornhole that levels the playing field for those with limited mobility?
Development
After determining that a catapult would be the most effective mechanism for this use case, I built a working prototype to get a sense of the physics and went from there. Form definitely followed function for this project.
Click to expand the images for a more detailed view.
Player Insights
We partnered with students in a special education program at a local high school in Portland, OR. They had been training for a cornhole tournament, but had three students with cerebral palsy who were left out as the league was unable to find a way to adapt the game for them.
More research available upon request.
Final Design
Presentation Poster
Tech Pack
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