The Rhode Island School of Design professor took a machine used in French restaurants and developed it into a consumer item: the Cuisinart food processor, which hit the U.S. market in 1973.
A specialist in redesigning products for the disabled, Harrison revamped the design in 1978 to make it easier for the disabled to use. He also designed kitchens for use by people in wheelchairs or with vision problems. Harrison died September 22 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“Lou Gehrig’s disease”). He was 62.