The Cane: Form & Function

In designing the Upperstate cane our goal was to challenge the stigma surrounding walking aids and create a product that was beautiful and functional. Our team worked hard to envision a product that built on the Upperstate's reputation for solid functionality, but delivered an aspirational product that our customers could be proud of.

The distinctive appearance, comfortable ergonomic shape and clever operation are seamlessly interwoven into a product that sits nicely within the Upperstate brand family at a cost effective price.

 

 

The simple, organic form camouflages a complex set of manufacturing challenges. Integrating the height adjustment system into a minimalist form safely was the first hurdle, then designing the handle assembly to be moldable, easy to assemble and still maintain aesthetic required some creative DFM thinking.

 

 

Ultimately a product like this must be safe. Our engineers used both computer based FEA techniques and real life prototyping to validate ergonomics, comfort and load carrying capacity. The geometry was analyzed using sophisticated 3D CAD software to minimize material creep and optimize strength by adjusting key design details. Physical prototypes and later moulded samples were destructively tested to ensure thresholds were met.