Liftware "Eat with confidence again"

The Story of Liftware

In 2013, Lift Labs launched their first ever stabilizing spoon designed for those with tremors associated with Parkinson's disease or essential tremors. Invented by a Ph.D graduate from the University of Michigan, the spoon uses an accelerator to detect tremors and responds to them with an actuator. Lift Labs was purchased by Google in 2014, and since then, Google has created two lines of the silverware--Liftware Steady and Liftware Level--uniquely specific to certain types of tremors. Liftware has also added forks to their line (Rushe, 2014).

The focus of this presentation is to showcase the amazing technology of Liftware and to uncover the ways it will improve society.

Liftware utensils stabilize forks and spoons for those with tremors and limited range of motion. By using advanced technology, the company claims to shake 70% less than the patient's hand (Parkinson's Life, 2016). This allows those with tremors to perform even the simplest task of eating without assistance.

This is a video of Joe, a victim of Parkinson's disease. Liftware Steady, shown in the video of Joe above, stabilizes Joe's hand's center of gravity in order to facilitate unassisted eating. Regardless of how much his hand shakes, the majority of Joe's food will not fall off of the spoon.

This video shows the Liftware Level. This product, in contrast to the Liftware Steady, allows the user to move their hand in any direction without food falling off of the spoon. This product is ideal for those with spinal cord injuries or those who have restricted mobility in their joints and hands.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, around 7 million people in the USA have tremors (Louis & Ottman, 2014). The Liftware Steady, displayed in the background image, can reduce shaking of patients by 70% (Parkinson's Life, 2016).

The Liftware Level, shown in the background image, is made to reduce the difficulty of eating for those with limited mobility. According to Liftware's website, "the leveling handle contains sensors that detect changes from the intended movement of the hand in 3 dimensions. To level the utensil, the computer directs two motors in the handle to bend the flexible gray joint, keeping the attachment at the right angle."

This technology addresses the problems those face who have difficulty eating unassisted. It directly affects those who have shaky tendencies as well as restricted motion in their hands, arms and wrists. This product will take something as simple as eating a bowl of cereal and make it a simple task for those affected by the symptoms listed above.

There are no known risks associated with either the Liftware Steady or the Liftware Level. The Liftware Steady has been tested on eleven patients with tremors and has shown effective in three tasks--lifting, eating and transferring. The study was peer reviewed and published here.

References

Liftware Steady FAQs. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from https://www.liftware.com/faqs/steady/

Liftware Level FAQs. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from https://www.liftware.com/fags/level/

Pathak, A., Redmond, J. A., Allen, M. and Chou, K. L. (2014), A noninvasive handheld assistive device to accommodate essential tremor: A pilot study. Mov Disord., 29: 838–842. doi:10.1002/mds.25796

Rushe, D. (2014, November 25). Google launches 'smart' spoon to help steady shaking hands. Retrieved April 16, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/25/google-launches-smart-spoon-shaking-hands-liftware

5 awesome inventions to reduce troublesome Parkinson's tremors. (2016, August 18). Retrieved April 16, 2017, from http://parkinsonslife.eu/5-awesome-inventions-to-reduce-troublesome-parkinsons-tremors/

Credits:

PR Newswire, Liftware.com

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