Assistive Technology Spoon
This is the project from Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology. Each student was paired to a client with a physical or cognitive disability. Throughout the semester, I met with my client every other week to show him new prototypes and test out ideas. I prototyped using materials from a hardware store, some machining, sculpting, and 3D printing. Because of the short project length, I tried to have several ideas going at once. My final presentation is here, and the slideshow below shows my prototypes and final product. Images modified for privacy.
Assistive Technology Spoon
Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology, Fall 2011
Client has incomplete tetraplegia, after first meeting we agreed to work on his being able to eat soup, which he had given up because of unsteady grip and hand movement.
At our first meeting, I used a wristband and a spoon from my backpack to see if attaching spoon to a different location helped. It didn't.
My first prototype was a spatula cut in half, with a shower head attachment between the pieces. This way I could see which angle worked best for him.
Because of his hypertonicity, his hands are always clamped and changing utensils is difficult. My next prototype had a slot for his fingers, and a spork on the end.
I pursued several different grip designs, and left several prototypes with him so he could use them during the week and give me his feedback.
While I made and evaluated grips, I looked at existing products like the Gyro Bowl (left) and Steady Spoon (right). Both use weights and low-friction bearings to keep the bowl or spoon facing up. However, neither of these worked for the client. The solution needs to be a spoon, and the Steady Spoon's barrel was too large for him to grip comfortably.
My first iterations of my versions of the Gyro Bowl and Steady Spoon. Both had trouble with friction, and the steady spoon's barrel was still too large.
I abandoned the Gyro Bowl idea and pursued the Steady Spoon. My final design had a wider, shallower bowl and an offset weight section so it would not hit his hand.
Through material choice and finishing, I was able to minimize friction, though weight was still needed to right the spoon.
My final iteration had a smaller barrel. I offset the mechanism to fit it inside a smaller oval.
Though my project was to enable soup eating, the client appreciated the sporks with grips I had given him the second week for testing. I made more of these using Sugru for a nice rubbery fit.