Assistive Switches are a necessity for many people with a wide range of disabilities that make using keyboards, computer mice, and touchscreens to navigate a computer or mobile device difficult. However, to use a switch with these devices, you need a switch interface so the device recognizes the inputs. Commercial switch interfaces can be quite expensive and hard to find. One of our latest additions to the Makers Making Change (new window) Assistive Device Library (new window) looks to address that.

The Shrub Hub (new window) is a USB switch interface that allows users to connect up to three 3.5 mm assistive switches to computers and mobile devices. It has five modes, and can send keystrokes, mouse clicks, and media control commands, with five outputs per mode.

Perhaps most importantly, it’s designed to be easy-to-build and low cost. Using off-the-shelf electronics and 3D printed parts, the device doesn’t require soldering or complicated assembly, and the materials come in at about $45 CAD at current costs.

With a 3D printed enclosure and software designed by Mechanical Engineer in Training Brad Wellington, the Shrub Hub is built around the Adafruit TRRS Trinkey (new window), a commercially available open-source PCB from ATMakers.org (new window) and Adafruit (new window). The Shrub Hub can be built by beginner makers and people with less technical experience. While there were previous switch interface options in our library like the Rocket Switch Interface (new window), these required a lot of technical know-how with soldering, and required ordering custom PCBs, which can be difficult.

With the low-cost and ease of build, the Shrub Hub is a more accessible switch interface option for persons with disabilities and clinicians.

This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change (new window) website.