A 17yearold Indian teenager named Aarav Anil joins the list of young innovators by developing a spoon that helps people with shaky hands, often due to Parkinson’s disease, eat.
According to The Guardian, Aarav came up with the idea when he saw his uncle Arjun, 70, who suffers from the disease and was having difficulty eating.
The young man used his knowledge of robotics and created the prototype of a smart spoon using microcontrollers, sensors, motors and a 3D printer. The cutlery’s sensors can detect vibrations on one side and trigger movements on the other, preventing the item from wobbling during use.
The invention was sent to the University of Physiotherapy in Bengaluru and Avil is currently working on some adaptations. “I adapt it based on feedback, for example by making it waterproof and removable for cleaning and replacing with a fork, as well as a deeper spoon to hold more food,” he told The Guardian.
More affordable cost
Aarav, who has already represented his country in more than 20 robotics competitions around the world, knows that the product is not original, as American companies sell similar objects but cost around $200, while the boy’s invention Man’s should cost $80.
The new university testing and validation process is expected to be completed next year and the results will be published in a medical journal so that smallscale production can begin.
*With information from CNN