handSteady - Innovative New Mug Design

handSteady is an innovative cup that makes drinking easy again for the 1 in 6 of the population who suffer from a health condition. The unique rotatable handle removes the need to twist your wrist, raise your elbow or lean your head back as far.

Chris Peacock designed handSteady because a close family member was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. He could see how this would one day make drinking with a cup difficult and unsafe. Chris knew that as an inventor, he had to come up with a solution.

So Chris worked with 35 health professionals and 72 people with various health conditions around the UK to develop the handSteady drinking cup. Diane who suffers from MS in Stevenage says, “This is so much easier than a normal cup. I love it. Such a well thought out piece of kit.”

It was at IBM where Chris was first taken seriously as an inventor. He then went to the Royal College of Art to do a masters design engineering to develop his skills in this area. It was at the RCA that Chris started the handSteady project. Guys and St Thomas’ Charity are backing the project and it’s being produced in West Sussex, Britain, by a precision manufacturing company that ensure the product meets ISO9001 standards.

To see a video of the handSteady in action click here

handSteady is the world’s first cup to incorporate the Rotatable HandleTM technology. It operates in a similar way to a steady cam that movie producers use to get a steady camera shot. The unique Double ArcTM handle design ensures a comfortable and secure hold for up to 4 fingers – which is great for people with a limited grip.

State of the Art material is been used with self-lubricating bearings to ensure it can be dishwashed, colour matched to bone-china and not break if dropped. The design incorporates Curved RimTM technology to ensure the rim of the cup is comfortable for the lips, avoid drip stains forming on the outside of the cup and guides liquid to the centre of the mouth.

The innovative product comes with two accessories including an Anti-Slip BaseTM is a world first and grips cups to tables, removes the need for coasters and absorbs the sound of cups when placed on a surface. The Hidden LidTM is another world first and resides below the rim of the cup, has a drink hole, reduces spillages and is highly discrete to ensure people’s dignity is maintained.

How handSteady stays upright

handSteady's Rotatable Handle^TM uses gravity to keep the cup upright until you're ready to drink. This has a number of unique benefits, as follows:

1. Gravity keeps it upright

This means you can hold the handle at any comfortable angle. This is unlike standard cups which can only be held at one vertical angle - which can be difficult or be impossible.

2. Lift without bending your wrist

You can lift handSteady to your mouth without needing to bend your wrist. This is unlike a standard cup which forces you to continually bend your wrist to keep the cup upright.

3. Reduce chances of spilling

If your wrist accidently moves forward, such as when there's a loss in concentration, handSteady can stay upright to stop painful, embarrassing and inconvenient spillages.

4. Reach without twisting your body

You can grasp the handle upside down, bring it to your mouth in a smooth 180 degree motion and avoid the need to twist your body if reaching for it when it's on a side table.

5. Less far to lean when reclining

When reclining you don't need to lean up as far to connect your mouth with handSteady because you can hold the handle at a comfortable side angle. This reduces the effort required.