The year has come to an end, including another blue sky exhibition. This year was a little different than the last and it proved to be more challenging for nearly everyone. This time around we had to come up with an original idea that solves a common problem. I wanted to solve a common problem that I can relate to so I would be more successful. 
This came with baseball, which I play nearly everyday. One of the most common problems in baseball is the sting that comes from improper contact as the ball meets the bat, that then travels into the batter’s hands and arms.
I also wanted to make this product reusable to reduce waste when bats are broken. I started with a drawing so I wouldn’t have to waste any resources due to sloppy planning. 
The core idea in the beginning was to have the grip attached to itself with Velcro at both the top and bottom. Then to have a “Kong” dog toy wrapped at the base of the handle to absorb shock and put some space between the batter’s hands and the vibrating handle. I was confident in my design so I committed to putting stuff together. Instead of a Kong however I found something that was a better size and would be more comfortable for the user. It was the top of a turkey baster cut into a similar shape as the Kong.
This design worked pretty well, however it was a little chunky, didn’t look good and wasn’t as comfortable as I wanted. It was functional but it wasn’t something I could see myself or anyone else wanting to use in a real game, therefore not really solving the problem I set out to solve. I then decided I would go with a different design altogether, something that would be more comfortable. I decided to just start with a base of foamy shelf liner, then added an extra pad where the palm would go. The pad is actually a sample for the type of technology of a g-form bike knee pad and I found that this piece really helped. In the end I was left with two bat grips, one was a little more functional, and the second more comfortable and solid. I thin the second was more successful because even though it sacrifices some functionality it is more comfortable and less likely to affect the batter’s swing.