ACTIVATOR METHODS

Designed at Atom Design in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A FREELANCE OPPORTUNITY

In march 2011 I quit my job at LDA and took a month off to pack and move my family from Southern California to New England in preparation for a new job working at Altitude, Inc in Boston, Massachusetts. During this time off I had the opportunity to collaborate in a freelance capacity with Yani Deros and the team at Atom Design on a project for Activator Methods. This short project resulted in a successful product, multiple domestic and international patents and a lasting friendship between myself and the Atom Design team.

MAKING MANIPULATION EASIER

Most people who have visited a chiropractor will tell you that spinal manipulation can work wonders to help reduce back pain, neck pain and other musculoskeletal conditions. They will probably also tell you that it can be a bit jarring. Activator Methods in Phoenix, Arizona partnered with Atom Design to develop a cordless instrument designed to help make spinal manipulation gentler and easier on patients.

A REVOLUTIONARY VISION

While Activator Methods had previously developed manipulation instruments they now set out to revolutionize their market by developing a cordless electronic instrument with variable pressure settings. They had an idea of what components they could use to make it work but needed help designing the look, configuration, ergonomics and usability of this new instrument.

MAKING IT A REALITY

We settled on a pistol-grip configuration to make using the product as intuitive and ergonomic as possible. We also specified a black LCD display, metal accents and soft co-molded rubber details to emphasize user interaction points.The result is a sleek and stylish instrument that delivers effective, variable treatment with minimal impact.

It should be noted that my primary contribution to this project was in the concept development and 2D refinement phases. While I provided some high-level input on CAD development, all of the 3D geometry was built and rendered by the talented team of industrial designers and engineers at Atom Design.

KEY CONTRIBUTORS: Joseph Morin, Yani Deros, Atom Design team.