【獎項 Prizes】銅獎 Bronze Award

【國家或地區 Country / Region】 台灣 Taiwan

【設計團隊 Group / 設計師 Designer】 林妤芯 Lin, Yu-Hsin

【作品介紹 Description】

大型犬如拉布拉多、黃金獵犬等，每5隻就有1隻會在老化時罹患關節炎，導致和肢無力或癱瘓。在透過市場分析後得知：第一，市面上的大型犬助行器多半使用大型的金數架做支撐的主力，但巨大的形體不僅造成狗狗活動上的困難，也間接讓狗狗「承受更多的重量負荷」。第二，「複雜的穿脫方式」讓飼主在幫狗狗安裝時產生挫折感，時間久了也會因此疲乏，這也是真正讓助行器無法普及的原因。第三，老化的犬隻通常伴隨大小便失禁，因此可以拆卸的布料和清洗的衛生問題也變得格外重要，但若使用現有的助行器則無法避免「排泄物和布料的接觸」。因此《Musclegie》以大型犬的角度出發，改變寵物輔具的型態，並且透過更流暢的使用方式，重新定義使用體驗。首先是「穿戴方式」，沒有布料的束縛，取而代之的是對腹部重心的支撐性，讓助行器真正的成為犬隻的後腳以便行動；再來是「穿戴流程」，流暢且簡單的使用方式對飼主極為重要，也是真正提高大型犬助行器使用率的關鍵，因此《Musclegie》只需要4個步驟即可完成助行器的安裝。

20% of large dogs, such as Labradors and Golden Retrievers, will develop arthritis as they age, resulting in limb weakness or paralysis. After analyzing the market, we learned that firstly, most of the large dog walkers on the market use large metal frames as the main support, but the huge size not only makes it difficult for the dog to move around but also indirectly makes the dog bear more weight. Secondly, the complicated way of putting on and taking off makes it frustrating for owners to help their dogs install them and makes them tired over time, which is the real reason why walkers are not popular. Third, older dogs are often accompanied by fecal incontinence, so the issue of removable fabric and hygiene for cleaning becomes particularly important, but those existing walkers could not avoid this problem. Therefore,《Musclegie》is to renew the pet assistive devices from the perspective of large dogs, and redefine the experience of using them through a smoother way of using the product. The first is the "wearing method", the fabric supports the abdomen and the body's center of gravity, without the binding of the fabric to make the walker truly become the dog's hind feet for movement; then comes the "wearing process", a smooth and simple way of use is essential to owners and is the key to increase the use of large dog walkers. So 《Musclegie》only takes 4 steps to get installed on the large dogs.