Development of a Feeding Device for Patients with Motor Impairment in Upper Limbs

Abstract

Patients with neurological injury rarely recover the functionality of upper limbs to the point of using it in an effective way in their daily life activities, such as personal hygiene and feed, becoming dependent of a third-party assistance. Thus, the objective of this study is to develop an assistive device to support the feeding of patients with motor impairment in upper limbs. Initially it was made the virtual prototyping of the device, split in a support base compounded by a bar which could be adjusted by the M6 screw coupled to a handle, three movable rods, and a cutlery base which the spoon is fixed allowing the feed of the individual. The device has four axis, the first one allows the device to rotate 360°, the second one adds freedom movement in the vertical axis, the third one allows movement in the horizontal axis so that the spoon could be directed to the patient’s mouth, and the last one keeps the spoon stable on the horizontal axis so that the food doesn’t fall. With this study, it was possible to develop a device capable of enabling patients with upper limbs motor impairment to feed themselves independently.