A New Way to Game
Two years ago, while awaiting surgery to address a unique medical condition, 12-year-old Daire Gorman desperately needed to find a new way to game.
And so began a collaboration with Big Life Fix, a Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE) program that brought together a team of specialized Irish designers seeking to improve the lives of those in need. Since its premier in 2020, the RTE team has helped disabled athletes, creatives, and professionals find new ways to enjoy old hobbies—and Daire hoped he would be next in line to receive an innovative, life-changing solution to his gaming needs.
For this build, designers from Big Life Fix partnered with both Microsoft and Logitech. This all-star partnership of two of the world’s most prominent computer peripherals manufacturers sought to craft a thoughtful, one-of-a-kind gaming rig uniquely fit for Daire’s situation.
“Gaming’s not [just] a pastime for me,” The 12 year-old explained during a home interview with RTE. “If I have a tough day at school or if I’m feeling really frustrated and tired, I come in here and escape from everything—it’s my holiday.”
Daire is one of seven people in the entire world with Crommelin Syndrome, an extremely rare condition that causes those affected to be born without certain body parts. He’s spent his life without arms from the elbow down, without a femur bone in both of his legs, and with just four toes on each foot.
If you ask anyone around him, though, his personality is what seems to stand out most.
“His condition means he’s quite limited in lots of things,” said Trevor Vaugh on the television program, designer and inventor featured on the Big Life Fix who initially worked with Daire. “He struggles to walk; he doesn’t have his arms; [but] he’s developed this incredible attitude that kind of knocks you back.”
“He’s such a positive, extroverted guy,” added Niall White, Technical Mechanical Engineering Leader at Logitech G. “He never gets down on himself.”
Prior to his operation, Daire played games exclusively with his feet, which as a result have become stronger and nimbler, his toes curled inwards to reach the buttons on his controller.
Despite this arduous positioning of his feet and the near constant pain it causes, Daire still finds profound joy in gaming.
“That console and this controller…they’re my lifeline,” he admitted during an RTE interview, seated with a PlayStation controller between his feet, voice still with a high, boyish timbre. “If something bothers me—frustrates me—this is the place to go.”
Although Daire’s planned surgery intended to straighten his legs and lessen his day-to-day pain, it came at a dire cost: it would limit his ability to hold a video game controller for longer periods of time.
After months of innovation, iteration, and testing, the Big Life “Fixers”, including Logitech Electrical Engineer Shane Phelan, worked together to build Daire a brand-new, custom-made gaming rig. Over twenty individuals worked on the project, culminating in a gaming chair, footpad with pedal controls, and RGB-lit arm cuffs, which Daire controlled through an array of interior buttons. This design allowed Daire to not only utilize his feet but his arms as well, something he wasn’t able to do with his previous gaming setup. The RGBs also enabled him to customize the setup with his own personal flair.
When the team presented Daire with his new rig, he placed his arms into the cuffs, hesitated, wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and wept, overcome with gratitude.
“It’s amazing,” he whispered, through tears and sniffles. “It’s mad!”
“It was mind-blowing what they can do and what they’ve done,” his father added. “For people to give up their free time, to put what they do for a living into our son… I can’t thank everybody enough”
Daire and the mark one gaming rig on “Big Life Fix”
A Rig That Lasts
For a moment, it seemed that Daire’s woes were solved, and he went through with his operation looking forward to a recovery full of rest and gaming.
Sadly, the joy didn’t last.
Daire’s rig quickly began to show signs of wear and tear. Buttons jammed, and, distressingly, longer gaming sessions left him with immense arm fatigue.
When Logitech learned of the situation, the company sent a team of designers to collaborate with Daire on remedying the situation.
Although they worked tirelessly, replacing and adjusting various parts, with each successive attempt to repair the device, something different seemed to go wrong. It eventually became clear that smaller fixes wouldn’t suffice; a rebuild was needed. Daire, who had patiently waited months for a fix that seemed increasingly impossible, deserved a rig that would last him a lifetime.
That’s when Logitech brought on Anna Hurley, a promising product design graduate from the University of Limerick, who joined Logitech and was given full creative freedom to create a bold new vision for Daire’s new accessible gaming rig.
It was an ambitious project. The team aimed to complete in three months what would normally take a year or more, but Daire had waited long enough.
“I immediately hit the ground running,” Hurley said. “I was able to have a few prototypes ready when I did meet [Daire] a few weeks after I started.”
After digging into the original model, she found that:
Several components on the device, including the footpad and arm cuffs, were not designed to withstand the full strength of arms and feet, which—due to his condition—Daire was forced to employ during every gaming session. This caused buttons, joysticks, and circuit boards to wear down over time—and eventually left the rig in an unplayable state.
Further, even when operating as intended, the cuffs were positioned in such a way that Daire held his arms straight out in front of him, parallel to the floor, while gaming, which led to fatigue and shortened gaming sessions. The footpad panel was also too small for his growing feet, with sharp edges and no area for Daire to comfortably rest.
Finally, the original chair’s frame was connected to a heavy circular ground mat, which was so big that Daire could not get in or out of the chair without assistance. As Daire is now a teenager, independence is important as a feature and function.
Hurley and the Logitech team stripped the original model down to the bone, unpacking each and every design, mechanical, and engineering decision—and going back to the drawing board to create a more durable, accessible chair.
A period of prototyping followed. Daire and his family visited Logitech’s office in Cork for testing, and Hurley, with a can-do attitude, explored a variety of changes to the initial model.
Daire conducts user testing at Logitech’s office in Cork, Ireland
Eventually, here’s what the team settled on:
The original footpad, which was originally less than a foot in length, grew significantly, containing stronger materials and a larger padded space on which Daire could rest his feet. This new design also removed the arm cuffs entirely, replacing them with the familiar joysticks Daire already used for his electric wheelchair. Lastly, Hurley swapped the circular foundation of the original chair with a smaller flat panel, allowing Daire to use any chair he’d like and, more importantly, climb in and out of the rig on his own.
As a personal touch, the Logitech team also included a large Liverpool crest, Daire being a massive fan of the team.
“Daire is such a fun-loving kid, and he was so adaptable with everything we gave him.” Hurley exclaimed after completing the build.
“Anna took on everything really, really quickly,” said Mona Sharma, Logitech Senior Industrial Designer and Anna Hurley’s Mentor throughout this process. “She was bright, conscientious, organized, and got what we needed done and more.”
Christmas Comes Early
On December 20th, 2024, Niall, Anna, and several other members of Logitech’s design team made the drive north from their Cork office up to the Gorman residence to deliver the new and improved gaming rig. It was a four-hour journey through the heart of Ireland—past large cities, quaint villages, dewy farmland, and eventually into the sleepy country town that Daire calls home.
Once installed, Daire’s new rig—with its smaller footprint, red paint, and Liverpool crest, perched amongst a sea of Liverpool merchandise and signed jerseys—there’s an overwhelming sense that this updated model was just that: his.
“Oh, wow!” Daire gasped, eyes lit up as he piloted his electric wheelchair across the room towards the new device. “That’s UNREAL!”
With an impossibly large grin, Daire got settled, placed his feet on the improved footpad, and rested his arm on the new joystick, the same trusty component he used to control his wheelchair. Then, he began to play.
He had no issues whatsoever.
“I barely got a word from him after that!” explained Hurley, who watched on from afar as Daire indulged himself in a round of FIFA. “He was just engulfed in the game…and that’s what we wanted out of all of this.”
“It was such a pleasant experience,” she said, reflecting on the entire process. “Daire is fantastic, well-mannered, and super polite—and his family was so supportive.”
The Final Fix
To ensure the best possible gaming experience, the Logitech team remains in contact with Daire’s family to continue to monitor and maintain the device should any needs arise.
Learn more about design and innovation at Logitech here.
