STEM II: The Assistive Technology Project!

In the second part of STEM, we work on the Assistive Technology Project. As part of this, students are selected as CEOs, and then the CEOs can choose a CTO, CMO, and CIO. Together, the team has to develop an assistive technology device for a certain client with a disability. The project culminates in the Assistive Technology fair, where students present their projects.

My team consisted of me , Avani , Sophie , and Jasmin. Read about our work below!

StabiliWare: An Assistive Eating Device for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease currently affects around one million people in the United States alone, making it the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the nation . The main symptoms of Parkinson’s include tremors, which can occur in an individual’s hands and feet and can be disruptive to everyday life. Due to tremors like this, mealtimes, specifically eating with utensils , can be challenging. Eating with utensils can be difficult because the tremors can cause the utensils to shake, causing the food to fall off the spoon and excessive spillage. This can cause the individual to be frustrated over time and prevent them from being independent. These experiences create a need for an affordable assistive device that helps to mitigate the effects of tremors and spillage while eating and restores individual independence.

Problem Statement

Individuals with Parkinson's disease struggle with eating because of tremors. Tremors are a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease affecting around 80% of those who are diagnosed

Engineering Goal

The goal is to develop a device to aid those with Parkinson’s in eating without spillage. This proposes a device to mitigate the effects of the tremors by reducing spillage. This will allow those individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s to develop a sense of independence .

Design Approach

Prototypes

To the left is a pdf of our current prototype, as well as our previous prototypes. Our current prototype takes inspiration from an ice cream scoop, and so it uses that same technology to close the bowl of the spoon. This ensures that no food is spilled even if the user experiences tremors while eating.