Smart fork counteracts tremors and limited mobility

The Liftware Level uses electronic motion-stabilizing technology to keep utensils upright, helping those with tremors or limited mobility feed themselves.

Technology design company Liftware specialize in smart utensils for people with a variety of mobility limitations. We first wrote about Liftware in 2013, when they launched ‘Steady’, a spoon that stabilizes itself for people with hand tremors. Now the company have designed a new product, the Level, which is more sophisticated and can counteract more erratic hand and arm movements that may be present in people with conditions such as cerebral palsy, Huntington’s Disease or spinal cord injury, who need assistance with daily tasks. The Level uses electronic motion-stabilizing technology to counteract a range of unintended movements by the user, and the computer, sensors and motor located in the handle monitor three directions of users’ actions in order to keep the utensil flat on the journey from plate to mouth.

Multiple attachments are available in order to turn the Steady into either a fork or a spoon, and the rechargeable battery lasts for approximately an hour. The starter kit is available for USD 195 and includes the handle and spoon attachment, as well as the charger, a wrist strap and travel pouch. Additional components can be bought separately.

Technology and design are helping millions of people who were previously excluded get more involved, from makeathons to help solve everyday problems faced by people with disability to travel sites specifically for booking extra mobility assistance. How else could innovation help excluded communities?