How One Student’s Need to Focus Led to a New Kind of Fidget Toy

When Roy Steinberg was in high school, he struggled to find subjects that kept his attention. As a student with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), staying focused wasn’t easy until he discovered engineering. That passion not only helped him get through school but eventually led him to create a fidget toy called Pinchy.

Steinberg, who graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in mechanical engineering, began developing Pinchy when he was a college sophomore. Today, Pinchy is making its way into a fast-growing market for tools that help people manage stress and attention challenges.

Steinberg’s idea for Pinchy came from his experience sitting through college lectures. Like many people with ADHD, he found that traditional fidget toys like clickers and spinners either made too much noise or became too distracting. Instead of helping him focus, they ended up making him more distracted. So, he decided to build a better alternative.

Using the skills he was learning in his engineering classes, Steinberg taught himself Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing. Without much experience in product design, he began an intense nine-month prototyping process. It took over 20 different prototypes, many of them created using the University of Illinois’s 3D printers, to get it right.

Steinberg had access to several on-campus resources, such as the Grainger Engineering Library’s IDEA Lab and the Siebel Center for Design’s 3D Lab. These facilities have printers like the LulzBot TAZ Pro XT, Creality K1, and Formlabs Form 3, allowing students to try different materials and techniques. These spaces made it easier for Steinberg to prototype, test, and refine his designs quickly.

Throughout the process, Steinberg explained he leaned heavily on engineering concepts like Design of Experiments (DOE) and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) to quickly test and improve his designs. The result was Pinchy, a small, ergonomic device that uses a proprietary spring and bearing system to create a repeatable, “super satisfying pinching motion.”

Unlike typical spinners or clickers, Pinchy is silent and smooth. It’s designed to relieve stress, anxiety, and restlessness without distracting the user or others nearby. The idea is to create a motion that keeps the hands busy but the mind free to focus.

Today, Steinberg runs the entire production process himself. From his apartment in Chicago, he 3D prints and hand-assembles each Pinchy. The product line now includes the original Pinchy, a larger version called the Pinchy XL, and a version called Pinchy Click. Customers can buy them online through Etsy, the company’s own website, or the TikTok Shop @Pinchyfidget.

Fidget toys gained widespread popularity in 2017 with the emergence of fidget spinners, which were initially marketed as tools to help people with ADHD, autism, or anxiety. Even though some people questioned how helpful they were, fidget toys became very popular and are used in many places.

Experts have suggested that these toys are designed to provide “sensory input that can help individuals self-regulate, maintain focus, and manage stress.” For example, Brown University Health noted that fidget tools help individuals regulate and concentrate by providing auditory, visual, and tactile input. They can offer an accessible way to concentrate by engaging the senses, which is particularly beneficial for children who feel overwhelmed. The toy helps ground their bodies and minds.

​Additionally, research highlighted by Julie Bjelland, a psychotherapist specializing in mental health and sensitivity issues, indicates that the tactile input provided by fidget tools can be calming, reducing anxiety and stress levels. The repetitive motion can be a meditative activity that soothes the nervous system, supporting self-regulation and focus. ​

In schools, especially Montessori schools, fidget toys often help children keep their hands busy to stay focused. Montessori education focuses on hands-on learning and letting kids work at their own pace, so fidget toys fit in naturally. They can make it easier for students, especially those with attention challenges, to concentrate and learn.

Even though it’s been almost ten years since their creation, fidget toys are still popular because they offer a simple and easy way to meet these needs.

Steinberg recently shared more about his journey and the challenges he faced. According to the entrepreneur, the market for fidget toys and stress-relief products has been growing steadily, especially among students, office workers, and people with anxiety or ADHD. Pinchy stands out because it offers a fresh take on what a fidget toy can be, so basically quiet, simple, and helpful for concentration.

However, creating a product from scratch while still in college wasn’t easy. It took months of trial and error, and a lot of persistence, to bring Pinchy to life.

After graduating, Steinberg joined Northrop Grumman full-time as an IRCM (Infrared Countermeasures) hardware engineer, helping develop systems that protect aircraft from missile threats. He had first interned with the company before stepping into his full-time role in February 2025. While working at Northrop Grumman, Steinberg continues to expand the Pinchy brand, staying true to his original vision: that small, simple tools can make a big difference in helping people manage their focus.

While Pinchy’s growth is still in its early stages, the company is already gaining traction among users who want fidget tools that don’t interrupt meetings, lectures, or work sessions. As more people look for quiet ways to manage their focus and energy, products like Pinchy are becoming the best option.