T-Pull: The Accessible Door-Closing Handle

Eightfold Technologies is an Ottawa based, Canadian start-up, founded by engineers with disabilities on a mission to enable a new level of independence for the disabled and elderly communities.

People in wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches can reach for the handle to open most doors, but closing that door behind is a real challenge. As the person attempts to close the door, their wheelchair gets in the way, having to roll back and reach forth to close the door a bit at a time. Something that ought to be simple, we just couldn't handle it anymore!

Introducing the T-Pull, a handle that removes the impossibility to reach for the conventional door knob to close a door. The T-Pull is the perfect complement to the current door knob for every room, in every establishment, for everybody. 

Now THAT we can handle!

FEATURES:

-  Easy installation

-  Metal pin

-  Durable high-density plastic

-  Lightweight

-  Swivels

-  Stores flush against door

-  Extreme adhesive (tested to 24 kg or 52.9 lbs)

We are excited that this innovation would eliminate a daily common challenge for people in wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and crutches to close a door with ease.

Please give us a hand!

Short Summary

Hi, we are Eightfold Technologies, initially an automation company before the CEO was hit by an SUV while waiting at a bus stop, leaving him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound for life. After long years of rehabilitation, he resurrected Eightfold Technologies as an innovations company focusing on products that enable more independence for people with disabilities. We are a group of like-minded individuals from the automation and robotics industries, and we would like to share our new idea.

Did you know that closing a door is a challenge for people in wheelchairs?

  

All door knobs are located at the edge of the door. When the door is opened, the door knob gets further away from the door frame. In a wheelchair, there is no easy way to close that door, short of easing the wheelchair back and reaching forth to eventually close. That same challenge exists for people in scooters, walkers, and crutches.

After a few discussions, concepts, and several prototypes later, success was achieved! Closing a door would no longer pose a daily challenge.

  

To test, we installed the T-Pull on an exterior metal door in -30°C Canadian weather in January, and the handle is still being used daily. Yet after installing another T-Pull on a different exterior metal door, children had broken 3! Obviously, better material and more testing is needed, which is where YOUR contribution comes in.