U2hug

Plush Night Light: Nihaarika Arora

About

U2hug allows women to rest their lower back during and before menstruation. Inspired by the female uterus this plush night light duals as a back pillow in the shape of a women’s uterus that supports the back. Its fallopian tubes are described as arms hugging the waist and the fimbriae are described as helping hands that light up giving the user a sense of comfort.

Target User: Lisa who suffers from lower back pain before and during menstruation.

The Problem

80% of women worldwide spend five to seven days in a month from mild discomfort to debilitating pain that interferes with daily activities.

Lower back pain associated with your period can start a few days before menstruation (PMS) and get better after your period is over. This type of back pain is typically muscular and caused by hormonal changes.

The Story

Lisa is a 29 year old woman (Target User) who is suffering from lower back pain before during her menstruation and is waiting to head back home from school. She has been in the studio all day and has not had a chance to rest.

The concept of U2hug, a plush night light is inspired by the literal form of a women’s uterus. The product attempts to provide a sense of comfort and security for women during their period by supporting the back.

Lisa can also carry U2hug with her during long days at the studio and can have a 20 minute power nap by relaxing her lower back.

Female reproductive system

Design Process

Sketches + Concept
Paper pattern

After the exploratory sketches, I created a paper pattern to help guide the template for the fabric. I chose a light pink wool fabric that is soft to the touch and decided to embed 6 LED white lights into the palms of my plush night light. I also added a translucent foam film to better defuse the light. Initially I was imagining the name of the product embroidered on the front of the pillow. However, I decided to go with a smaller embroidered name tag “U2hug” on the side of the plush night light.

Material List

  1. Pink wool fabric
  2. Light Pink thread
  3. Dark pink thread (embroidery)
  4. Fiber Fill
  5. Translucent film
  6. 3xAAA batteries
  7. 6x White LED’s

Circuit Diagram

Start Simulation

Final Product

Product in Use

Front view
Back view

Takeaways

  1. It was my first attempt at using the embroidery machine at the VFL and I was very satisfied with its outcome.
  2. I decided to challenge myself and hand sew the plush toy. The most challenging part was perfecting the ridges between the fingers. Also,adding the fiber fill to the fingers was a challenging task. I also had a hard time finding the perfect material to defuse the light and fit in the palm.
  3. The future refinement of this product would be to have the pillow heat up with a cordless recharging system to alleviate cramps from period pain.
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