Halo Sink

1 in 4 people are expected to suffer a stroke in their lifetime and of those, 40-50% are expected to experience long-lasting upper extremity impairment. This can lead to difficulty performing everyday tasks, like washing up after cooking. The current assistive hand-dishwashing market is limited, with individuals opting to develop their own one-handed cleaning techniques or makeshift devices. Additionally, many assistive products lack aesthetic qualities which contributes to creating a stigma around their use and ownership. The design challenge was to create a more functional, aesthetic and assistive kitchen sink that allows stroke survivors to easily and safely clean one-handed.

Utilising integrated steps, Halo can grip pots, pans, plates and bowls, allowing the user to scrub effectively with their more able side. With its taper design, the sink accommodates variations in pot and pan sizes from 140mm to 300mm, as well as plates and bowls, ensuring all cookware can be gripped for easy cleaning. The taper design was conceptualised during user testing and rounded out the sink’s functionality. The pot tipper adds additional functionality to the sink, allowing stroke survivors to safely pour water from pots into the sink where they may struggle otherwise.

Halo can improve the self-worth and quality of life of stroke survivors as they develop more independence and avoid feeling burdensome. This may lead to improved relationships among households as stroke survivors become more independent and less reliant on those around them. The modern aesthetic of Halo may reduce stigmas surrounding assistive devices as users are happy to have the Halo sink in their home as a statement rather than purely functional. Stainless steel was chosen for its longevity and resilience, ensuring Halo will last many years and can be recycled at the end of its lifecycle.