Introducing Pinchee – A 3D Printed Game That Blends Fun and Hand Therapy
Earlier this year, we had the privilege of creating Pinchee - a 3D printed game that combines fun with hand therapy. Today, we’re thrilled to share the files with our community, making it possible for anyone with a 3D printer to download, create, and enjoy this unique game!
16th December 2024 • News
What is Pinchee?
Pinchee is a fully 3D-printable, 2-player dexterity game where players pinch their bird to stack twigs on a cheerful elephant. Combining fun with finger and wrist exercises, it’s enjoyable for everyone and offers particular benefits for individuals with hand arthritis.
The Origins of Pinchee
Pinchee began as a design project by PrintLab’s Lead Designer, Rob Mafrici, who participated in the Make:able 3D Printing and Assistive Technology Challenge. Rob set out to create a life-enhancing device for his end user, Cath, who has osteoarthritis in her hands. Using the step-by-step process in the Make:able Online Toolkit, Rob developed empathy through interviews and observation studies. This led to three key insights that shaped the design process:
- Hand movements and exercises significantly alleviate Cath’s arthritis symptoms.
- Cath disliked traditional assistive devices due to their clinical aesthetics, which she felt “scream disability”.
- Cath has a deep love for anything related to elephants!
After numerous prototypes and iterations, Pinchee emerged as a discreet yet effective assistive device, thoughtfully designed to incorporate recommended finger-pinching and wrist-flexing exercises for arthritis management.
Gameplay
The objective of the game is to score as many points as possible by successfully stacking twigs. Be careful, though – if the stack topples, fallen twigs count as negative points! For a closer look at how to set up and play Pinchee, check out the video below.
Get your Pinchee
Pinchee’s files have been released completely free, allowing anyone to download, make, play, and even improve the game. We hope that Pinchee not only becomes widely used but also inspires others to create their own 3D-printed assistive devices.
Whether you’re a teacher, student, maker, or anyone interested in 3D printing and assistive technology, we’d love for you to join the Make:able Challenge to bring more accessible products like Pinchee into the world. Visit https://www.makeablechallenge.com/ to learn more, and to download Pinchee’s files, click the link below!
Download Pinchee's 3D print files, maker guide and game instructions for free