We reexamined the activity of vacuuming without the use of hands or arms.
[QUICKTIME http://itp.nyu.edu/~kh928/archives/vacuum.mp4 160 137]
We found it impossible to connect the most commonly used large attachment. For this particular attachment, there is a small button that needs to be depressed in order to lock it into place. Using only the feet and legs, this proved to be extremely difficult, both because of the size of the button and the need to use simultaneous opposing force.
It was also difficult to maneuver the plug and cord out of the vacuum cleaner body. After several attempts, we were successful. The design of this particular vacuum cleaner model made it easy to access the attachments with the use of two feet. We decided to analyze the actual back and forth motion required to vacuum the floor.
The solution that we came up with is a specially designed attachment for the the vacuum to be used with the foot. The attachment is worn as a slipper. The floor cleaning attachment is integrated into the weight-bearing base.
[QUICKTIME http://itp.nyu.edu/~kh928/archives/footvacuum.mp4 160 137]
