Aerosol with foam cap
… with cap removed and valve stem exposed. Button spray nozzle and trigger gun fitted. The elastic band (kindly donated by Royal Mail) holds the lever up for ease of use.
The client suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and has great difficulty in using aerosols.
Investigation showed that the aerosols in use had a combined spray nozzle and cap and this complex shape was the main reason for their being hard to use. If the cap is removed, the valve and valve stem that are exposed are fairly standard and a simple button spray nozzle can be fitted to the valve stem in its place. This can then be operated by a commercially available spray trigger gun (as sold in car spares shops for spray paint cans) which clips around the crimp seam between the body and the valve. By having a selection of simple standard spray nozzles and several trigger guns, most aerosols can be adapted by the client to be easily operated.
Understanding the underlying issues and re-purposing a readily available tool were all that was needed to provide an elegantly simple solution. The rubber band was Remap’s only technical innovation.
The client can now operate all his current aerosols and has been provided with the skills to be able to use the new aerosol styles that will be encountered in the future.