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Our project aims to create an adaptive spoon to help a child diagnosed with CDG, a genetic disorder similar to cerebral palsy, eat in a hassle-free manner.
The child we are working with is a 5 year old
with a diagnosis of CDG, resulting in ataxic (jerky and
uncoordinated movements) similar to what you would see
with cerebral palsy. The family has been working on self
feeding for several years now but she continues to display
decreased distal motor control as well as decreased brain
to body connection to scoop foods and bring them to her mouth
without spilling. Therefore, we are designing an
adaptive spoon that would accommodate decreased
mobility in her wrist/forearm and uncoordinated movements to
help her successfully bring foods to mouth without
maximal assistance from caregiver.
Design Specifications
Following our meeting with the child’s occupational therapist, we gained valuable insights into the challenges the child faces while eating and identified essential considerations for our design. Additionally, we received a series of video recordings capturing the child’s eating experience, which proved instrumental in shaping our design approach.
Once we brainstormed three initial design concepts, we researched how to effectively implement each design. We found multiple companies that have developed motorized spoons that stabilize automatically for handicapped individuals. We also looked for a design that could retain the mobility of the motorized spoons while being completely mechanical.
Rotating Spoon
This design allows the head of the spoon to rotate inside the handle so that when lowered against the plate it will be in a position to scoop food, and when the child raises it to her mouth, it will be free to tip so she does not have to rotate her wrist.
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Related Design Concept:
Ball Spoon
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Motorized Spoon
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Bent Spoon
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Related Design Concept
Mic StandÂ
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Design Review Process
Each idea was rated on a scale from 1-5 in each of the following categories: Ease of Fabrication, Cost, Food Safety, and Usability. Each of these categories is described below the decision matrix to provide a clear understanding of the factors considered in each design component. In order to provide a diverse set of designs, each team member was responsible for developing a unique solution to the problem as shown above. After the ideas were presented and discussed to the group, the team worked together to rate each factor for each design.
Note: Each category is weighted differently with Usability holding the highest weight of any category. Despite having a numerical analysis of the factors, group discussion and collaboration with the family is what will ultimately determine what design is chosen.
Ease of fabrication aims to determine how simple the spoon would be in design, manufacturing, and assembly. This also considers the machining process for any custom parts.
Cost aims to determine the monetary cost associated with all materials, time, and equipment used to make the spoon. This not only includes the fabrication process, but the design and prototyping phases of the project.
Food safety aims to determine the health and safety risks posed by the design. This includes not only what materials are food safe but also whether or not the materials are dishwasher safe and easy to clean.
Usability aims to determine how effective the design will be. This category will be filled out by our group’s contact for the project so that the design we choose has a good chance of being effective.
