Large sections of the population encounter difficulty in opening consumer packaging of many kinds. Screw-caps in particular can cause problems for a range of people with a variety of impairments. This paper describes the development & initial testing of a novel multi-axial force & torque transducer, designed for the study of loading conditions when tamper evident bottle closures are opened manually. The transducer, which comprises 7 beams that are sensitive to direct forces & torques in each of 3 axes, can provide comprehensive information on the loading conditions that occur when an Instrumented bottle is opened. The transducer has been designed to fit inside a typical 500ml plastic soft drinks bottle so that it does not interfere with the way in which the subject grips the bottle & cap, or applies forces & torques, in order top open the bottle.
