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Student designs retractable paper stick to press lift buttons, uploads template for users to make their own

SINGAPORE – After noticing that his father had to carry disposable chopsticks around and use them to press lift buttons so that he could avoid touching them directly, undergraduate Jedaiah Chen decided to come up with a better solution.

Mr Jedaiah Chen, 24, demonstrating how to use the Jed Stick 2020, a short, retractable stick made of paper to press buttons in the lift and at traffic lights.

Mr Jedaiah Chen, 24, demonstrating how to use the Jed Stick 2020, a short, retractable stick made of paper to press buttons in the lift and at traffic lights.

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SINGAPORE – After noticing that his father had to carry disposable chopsticks around and use them to press lift buttons so that he could avoid touching them directly, undergraduate Jedaiah Chen decided to come up with a better solution. 

The 24-year-old, who is in his second year doing a business administration degree course at the National University of Singapore, started experimenting at the start of this month to create a retractable stick made of paper that can be used to press buttons in lifts or at traffic lights.

Touching these surfaces carries a risk of coming into contact with germs, including the coronavirus, which can then enter the body when the hands come into contact with the eyes, nose or mouth.  

Determined to make a hands-free item that works, Mr Chen went through about seven to 10 prototypes of the stick that were too flimsy before he finally produced the Jed Stick 2020.

Jed is short for his first name, and Mr Chen launched it on his social media channels last Friday (May 15). 

To use it, one simply needs to twist a cap at the front of the stick so that the body of the Jed Stick will slide out. This extended part will be used to press the buttons. 

To retract it, twist the cap again. There is no need to come into contact with the body of the stick at any point.

The Jed Stick has a loop at its tail end so that users may attach a string or metal ring to it and hang it from their wallet or bag.

Mr Jedaiah Chen's family and friends have been using the stick he made. Photo: Jedaiah Chen

His father, a retiree in his 60s, said that the stick is very practical and convenient. He now uses one by attaching it to a wallet and carrying it around daily. 

For those who want to have one, Mr Chen has uploaded templates of the Jed Stick onto Google Drive and shared it on social media channels such as Instagram and YouTube. 

Anyone can download and print out the template on a piece of A4 paper, cut away the excess paper and fold it into the Jed Stick.

He has also uploaded a four-minute-or-so tutorial video on social media to guide viewers in creating it. 

To make the body of the stick, one needs to cut out the portion of paper meant for its body and roll it into a tube. It is then held together with tape. 

Another part of the paper meant for the cap will be wrapped around the front part of the body, and taped up. 

As of Thursday, there were 26 downloads by Mr Chen’s friends and family members.

“They told me that it was very convenient and they were very happy to use it because they had been using chopsticks or pens (to push lift buttons),” Mr Chen said. 

He hopes that they will share the template on their own social media channels so that more people can make and use the sticks. 

Mr Chen decided to use paper to make the stick although he had considered using other materials such as brass. 

However, after he contacted factories in China that made brass products, he was told that it would take longer to manufacture the sticks and ship them here. 

He estimated that it would take three months for the first batch of the brass sticks to arrive. 

That was when he decided on using paper to make the Jed Sticks free and accessible to anyone. 

“My intention was never to make profit,” he said. “I wanted to help people and let them use the stick.”

Mr Chen has been using his own Jed Stick for three weeks and said that it was still intact. 

“I think that it can last for a long time, I have asked my family members to try to break it but they could not,” he said. “I expect that it can last for maybe more than six months and people can make a new one if theirs get wet or dirty.”

This is not the first time Mr Chen has constructed something. He has built pull-out drawers under his bed and made wooden boxes to hide the cables of appliances at home. 

“If I see a problem at home, then I will build something to solve it,” he said. “I enjoy that problem-solving aspect.”

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