Stand is a cane that cultivates an active lifestyle for the elderly by making sitting and standing easier as well as motivational. The innovation in making the cane compressible allows users to intuitively and securely shift their body weight while sitting and standing. Sitting and standing are the the biggest obstacles in the life of many elderly people. Besides the damaging to their body every time they fall onto their chairs, it is also discouraging every time they fails to stand up by themselves. Different from other assistive devices, Stand aims to provide the minimal assistance needed to the elderly people, which allows them to continue exercise their muscles and be active in the long run. The key in sitting/standing is to shift the body weight. While standing/sitting, the user will press both buttons under the handle for Stand to compress, which guide them to slowly shift their center of gravity forward to allow easy standing/sitting. The bottom design provide stability for self-standing as well as durability where it meets the ground. The iconic form steers Stand away from the age stigma that conventional cane inherent, makes carrying a cane become a personal statement. Stand is a simple, intuitive and elegant solution that encourages elderly people to get up and move around.

While observing an elderly standing up with his cane on a subway, I came to realize that leaning forward is the key in sitting and standing. After further research, I was reassured by knowing that leaning forward to shift body weight is the first thing caregivers ask elderly to do when helping them to sit and stand. However, current canes aren't design for elderly to do so, it is in fact very dangerous when tilting a cane at that degree. Therefore, I made my first prototype of a compressible cane using parts from a folding umbrella and a crutch, tested and proved that a compressible cane helps users to shift their body weight slowly and safely while sitting and standing. In order to provide more security and reliability to the users, the second round of prototype is a loop shape that provide two vertical supports in addition to self-balancing feature inspired by a rocking chair. Working with multiple elderlies allows the design to be refined to the most ergonomic and intuitive for this specific age group.

Different from other assistive devices, Stand aims to provide the minimal assistance needed to the elderly people, which allows them to continue exercise their muscles and be active in the long run. On the other hand, the iconic form steers Stand away from the age stigma that conventional cane inherent, makes carrying a cane become a personal statement.