SteadiSpoon - Grandma-inspired device for people with tremors

Raleigh Dewan, a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, witnessed first-hand the severe effects a neurologic disorder can make as his grandmother June was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Dewan saw the debilitating hand tremors that would not allow her to eat without spilling food everywhere, preventing her from enjoying the family dinners, she lovingly prepared.

So, Dewan began researching Parkinson’s disease and the available eating-assist devices. He found weighted spoons with heavy handles and some motorized versions already on the market. However, they all were prohibitively expensive and of limited efficacy. Then, fueled by the desire to help his own grandmother, Dewan envisioned an affordable, mechanical solution that would solve tremors, and his first ideation of SteadiSpoon came to fruition in an entrepreneurship class.

He later joined forces with another student from SMU, Mason Morland, and also Emily Javedan, a Johns Hopkins student, to better develop the idea. The SteadiSpoon is a self-stabilizing eating utensil that allows people suffering from disorders that cause shaking – such as Parkinson’s and essential tremors – to regain their ability to feed themselves with ease and dignity. The device designs are 3D-printable, allowing for scalable production and charitable licensing in developing countries.

Dewan’s grandmother sadly passed away in 2021, but her story and spirit continue to inspire the project on every level.

This story was adapted from: https://www.smu.edu/News/Research/SteadiSpoon

The images were taken from: https://www.smu.edu/News/Research/SteadiSpoon, and we do not own any of them.