Vacuformed Keyguard Screen Protector
The final design was a modified iPhone case. We removed the original screen protector, 3D printed a keyguard that matched the button pattern of the AAC application (Proloquo2Go) and used a vacuum former to mold a new screen protector with a keyguard underneath.
Design and Prototyping
We knew we had to find a durable but malleable material for the replacement screen protector, so off to the art store, we went with our phone in hand. We found a few willing and helpful staff and using our phones and their knowledge of the material we found a few candidates. We knew that we going to vacuum form the solution so we made our vacuum former.
Forming and Finishing
We took screenshots of the application button layout and used that to create our keyguard model in CAD. Then we printed the model on a 3d printer. In the vacuum former, we experimented with time, heat and materials, with a few epic failures until we found a combination that worked. From there we cut the screen protector to size and used adhesive to glue the new screen protector in place.
