David Balogh
All projects

Designing for the people who'll wear it

Industrial Design — Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker asked our team to find real problems on construction sites and prototype wearable solutions. The mechanisms were the easy part. The real work was figuring out what workers actually need and will put up with, then cutting everything else. Our recoil-resistant drywall exoskeleton won best prototype.

Sponsor
Stanley Black & Decker
Team
Team 8
Timeline
May 2025 – Dec 2025
Focus
User research, concept design, rapid prototyping
Best Prototype award 3 wearable concepts 3 rounds of sponsor critique
The MVP: the recoil-resistant drywall exoskeleton that won best prototype.
01

Start with the user, not the mechanism

We began with in-person user research: watching how construction work actually gets done, where it hurts, and what slows people down. Then we grouped what we saw into themes. Every concept we took forward had to trace back to one of those themes.

Reviewers called out that link between our research and our concepts as the strongest part of the project, more than any single design.

What we kept hearing

  • Workers already carry bulky tool belts and harnesses. Anything new has to be slim and fit the body, or it won't get worn.
  • They need support for power-tool work without losing the dexterity fine tasks require.
  • Gear has to fit different body sizes and go on and off quickly.
  • If a device has any drawback on the job, it's a useless product, however clever the mechanism.
02

Three concepts from the research

  1. Recoil-resistant drywall exoskeleton Best Prototype

    A rotational forearm exoskeleton that absorbs recoil and shock from drywall tools before it reaches the wrist, while keeping the wrist fully mobile. Velcro straps in two locations let it fit different arm sizes and go on quickly.

  2. Adjustable tension glove

    Locks in grip support when you're running a power tool, then releases so you get full dexterity back for fine work. After the second crit, we moved from engaging each finger separately to a single action that engages them all.

  3. Finger guards

    A new take on protecting fingers during hands-on work. Reviewers liked the idea and asked us to develop it further.

03

From rough prototype to MVP

Prototype 1 · rough build Aluminum extrusion bolted together fast to test the idea: a spring along the forearm takes the recoil between a wrist ring and an elbow brace. It proved the concept, but it was bulky and heavy, exactly what reviewers flagged.
Prototype 2 · MVP Rebuilt around the feedback: a slimmer shell that follows the forearm, a rotating wrist ring so the wrist stays mobile, and straps that anchor at the elbow and fit different arm sizes. This version won best prototype.
04

Letting feedback drive the design

ReviewWhat we heardWhat we changed
Midterm crit 1 Slim the concepts down and fit them to the body. Make the glove's tension adjustable. Anchor the exoskeleton better at the elbow. Put ergonomics and adjustability ahead of the mechanism. Tested more flexible materials and reworked how the exoskeleton attaches.
Midterm crit 2 Disengage the glove with one action, not finger by finger. Keep full wrist mobility, and secure the exoskeleton for any arm size. Moved the glove to a single-action release. Added velcro straps in two locations on the exoskeleton for fit and quick donning.
Final crit Presented the refined prototypes to Stanley Black & Decker. The drywall exoskeleton won best prototype.

The biggest lesson: design for what users need, not what we assume they want. A clever mechanism is worthless if workers find it bulky or unnecessary, so every iteration went toward lighter, more compact and easier to live with.