Assistive feeding device for physically handicapped using feedback control

Abstract

People suffering from neuromuscular diseases have trouble lifting their arms against gravity although a large number of them maintain sensitivity and residual strengths in their hands. Therefore a device is desired that enables them to assist their feeding movements. There are commercially available feeders that are useful for people who have controlled movements of the head and neck and can take food off of a feeding utensil that is brought close to the mouth. Most feeders consist of an articulated, electrically powered arm with a spoon at its end, a plate on a rotating turntable and an auxiliary arm that may be used to push food on to the spoon. The user controls, through the use of switches, the movement of the different components. Although such feeding aids can be used effectively, there are several reasons why their use is not as widespread as one would expect. The control switches may initiate a movement of a certain component, for example, a rotation of the plate. © Springer-Verlag London Limited 2007.