A Pivot-Based Kirigami Utensil for Hand-Held and Robot-Assisted Feeding
🤖 AI Summary
This work proposes a dual-mode utensil based on kirigami and pivot mechanisms to address the challenge faced by over 60 million individuals with tremors or motor impairments who struggle with spillage and limited autonomy when using conventional cutlery. The design supports both handheld use and robotic assistance, featuring a pincer-like structure that adaptively wraps around food upon handle squeezing, thereby preventing drops. Integrating principles from origami engineering, pivot mechanics, 3D printing, and servo integration, the utensil enables precise control of gripping force through either kinematic or material-based modulation. User studies involving individuals with disabilities and Parkinson’s disease demonstrate that the device significantly outperforms existing solutions in minimizing spillage, enhancing eating independence, and improving user satisfaction.
Application Category
📝 Abstract
Eating is a daily challenge for over 60 million adults with essential tremors and other mobility limitations. For these users, traditional utensils like forks or spoons are difficult to manipulate -- resulting in accidental spills and restricting the types of food that can be consumed. Prior work has developed rigid, hand-held utensils that often fail to secure food, as well as soft, shape-changing utensils made strictly for robot-assisted feeding. To assist a broader range of users, we introduce a re-designed kiri-spoon that can be leveraged as either a hand-held utensil or a robot-mounted attachment. Our key idea -- developed in collaboration with stakeholders -- is a pivot-based design. With this design the kiri-spoon behaves like a pair of pliers: users squeeze the handles to change the shape of the utensil and enclose food morsels. In practice, users can apply this kiri-spoon as either a spoon (that scoops food) or as a fork (that pinches food); when the handles are closed, the utensil wraps around the morsel and prevents it from accidentally falling. We characterize the amount of force required to open or close the kiri-spoon, and show how designers can modify this force through kinematic or material changes. A highlight of our design is its accessibility: the hand-held version consists of just four 3D printed parts that snap together. By adding a servo motor, we can extend this same kinematic structure to robot-assisted feeding. Across our user studies, adults with disabilities and elderly adults with Parkinson's reported that the kiri-spoon better met their needs and provided a more effective means of spill prevention than existing alternatives. See a video of our kiri-spoon here: https://youtu.be/FFIomm5RL98
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
essential tremors
mobility limitations
assistive utensils
robot-assisted feeding
spill prevention
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
pivot-based design
kirigami utensil
adaptive feeding aid
robot-assisted feeding
accessible assistive device
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