OASYS: A Modular Bathroom for Aging in Place

What it does

OASYS is a modular bathroom system designed to help older adults age in place safely and with dignity. Like a kit-of-parts, it enables fast, affordable retrofits with accessible fixtures and ergonomic design—transforming outdated bathrooms in days, not months.

Your inspiration

As a physician, I saw how older adults often feared losing independence more than any diagnosis. I witnessed this with my grandparents as they struggled to bathe or use the toilet safely, and the dignity lost in the process. Later, working at Medicare, I saw how poorly public policy supports aging at home, despite it being what 90% of seniors want. Of all the rooms in the home, the bathroom posed the greatest challenge. The market offered only stopgap products like shower chairs and toilet risers or costly full renovations—little in between. I saw an opportunity to create a dignified solution to bridge this gap and help millions age in place.

How it works

OASYS is a modular bathroom system designed for retrofit with minimal demolition. Built around a grid that fits common US bathroom dimensions, it consists of three core components: wall panels, fixtures, and accessories. Galvanized steel rails anchor to wall studs, supporting lightweight aluminum composite panels that serve as both finished wall surface and interface with water, drainage, and venting. Panels attach via threaded connectors and include predrilled cutouts for PEX, drain hookups, and mounting brackets to simplify installation. OASYS includes a suite of ergonomic fixtures—such as a comfort-height toilet with integrated bidet, zero-threshold shower, and ergonomic sink. Fixtures can be installed on one or more walls. Controls, custom grab bars, and shelving can be flexibly positioned within the panel grid to suit users of varying heights and needs. The system can install in days, using a general contractor and plumber—minimizing specialized trades.

Design process

I began with historical research into 20th-century prefabricated bathrooms—from Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion to Herman Miller’s Metaform—to understand why promising systems failed to scale. I conducted interviews with older adults, caregivers, occupational therapists, contractors/plumbers, and designers/architects to map real-world challenges in bathroom use and renovation. I used products like toilet seat risers myself to better empathize with seniors. I made dozens of abstract scale models in foam to explore 3D relationships and spatial layout, where the idea for a modular, panelized system emerged. I tested over 10 panel materials, multiple bracket systems, and wall interfaces to maximize field adjustability, narrowing down to aluminum composite panels and custom steel rails. I created full-scale mockups of low-fidelity fixtures and wall studs to prototype attachment methods. Knowing I had to design both panels and fixtures, I conducted visual research in bathroom showrooms and made iterative scale models of toilets and sinks to refine the visual identity. I then developed a full-scale prototype of the toilet module, demonstrating the key features of the system as a whole: the steel rails, panels, grab bar attachment mechanism, and the ergonomic toilet with integrated bidet.

How it is different

Most accessible bathroom solutions fall into two extremes: low-cost, low-dignity products like toilet risers and shower chairs, or high-cost custom renovations requiring demolition—out of reach for many. OASYS bridges this gap with a modular system of wall panels and ergonomic fixtures—designed together as a coherent unit. Unlike prefabricated pods for new builds, OASYS is retrofit-ready: panels anchor to studs via steel rails (similar to some modular kitchen systems), and fixtures are designed to align with existing plumbing and vent stacks wherever possible to reduce labor. The system can be used in whole or in part, offering flexibility. Ergonomics are built into the system, leveraging Alexander Kira’s pioneering bathroom research. Contractors are not left to guess. It installs in days, not weeks, and delivers a safe, elegant bathroom—without institutional aesthetics. Other products do not combine modular retrofit and human-centered aesthetics in this way.

Future plans

I’ve been invited to spend two weeks in an independent senior living community in the Midwest to conduct in-depth user research and testing. I’ve also shared the project with leadership at the Milken Institute’s Center for the Future of Aging to explore policy opportunities for improving the physical home environment and to shift age-tech conversations beyond sensors toward physical dignity. I’m finalizing a provisional patent to protect the modular assembly system, and have built a supplier database to estimate costs at scale. I’m now exploring partnerships to support further engineering refinement, with the goal of bringing OASYS to market.

Awards

After 18 months of work, I finalized the full system design and built the full-scale prototype within the last two months. I’m now beginning to submit the project to competitions—starting with the James Dyson Award—while continuing to refine it.