Stabilizing Spoon

In this project, we are developing a product for Parkinson's Diseases. A cardinal symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), can make it difficult to get through your daily routine, including mealtime. These limitations may make people self-conscious and lead to isolation, which studies have shown worsens

Project Title

Stabilizing Spoon

Project Area of Specialization

Internet of Things

Project Summary

In this project, we are developing a product for Parkinson's Diseases. A cardinal symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), can make it difficult to get through your daily routine, including mealtime. These limitations may make people self-conscious and lead to isolation, which studies have shown worsens Parkinson's symptoms and negatively impacts wellness. A stabilizing spoon that will compensate for unintended motions, such as tremors. Due to this disorder, the patient suffers from the severe tremor-related issue. When the person focuses on a particular body part, he/she suffers severe tremor in that body part. Due to this, the person is not able to eat properly and therefore suffers a lot of problems. To overcome this problem, we designed a Stabilizing Spoon for a person’s sufferer while eating which helps to control the tremor violated. The spoon handle is attachable to a fork and spoon for different meals. It is light and comfortable to be used by the patient. The handle will isolate the vibration created by the patient so that the attached part doesn’t vibrate. This report contains the products created for this purpose, state-of-arts of vibration isolation systems, and patents of the related topic. Design criteria and the following steps will be determined based on the information provided in this document. The system comprises a housing that includes a subsystem. The system also includes an attachment arm coupled to the housing. At least one first sensor is placed along the attachment arm, wherein the attachment arm is configured to receive the object thereto. In response to an unintentional muscle movement by a user that adversely affects the motion of the object, the subsystem stabilizes the position of the object. The method comprises providing a subsystem within the housing and coupling an attachment arm to the housing. The method also includes placing at least one first sensor along the attachment arm, wherein the attachment arm is configured to receive the object thereto. In response to an unintentional muscle movement by a user that adversely affects the motion of the object, the subsystem stabilizes the position of the object. The component we have used is Arduino NANO, servo motors, ESP 8266 module and MPU 6050 which have 6 axis accelerometer and gyroscope for the development of this device. This device can be used by Parkinson’s Tremor Stabilization Spoon as rehabilitation or supportive device as it does not remove the tremors. The objective of our project was to keep the spoon always in an upward direction so that the food does not fall down while eating. Note that the spoon will always remain facing upwards so that the food does not fall down from the spoon. This spoon can also be connected to the mobile app to keep a record of patient progress.

Project Objectives

In this project, we analyze the tremor that is produced in the hands of older people, their average frequency of oscillation, and the problems faced by older people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Essential tremor (ET). Keeping in mind the various problems faced by older people with it, the work that is presented here is an attempt to design an assistive device for older age people suffering from the essential disorder which can be able to nullify the tremor produced in the hand with the maximum percentage of efficiency and ergonomically designed for easy use and simultaneously help them eat independently and does not need a helping hand from another and without any problems. The objective of this project is to incorporate the principles of gyroscopic stability to create a device that actively reduces the tremors experienced by the hand. Rotating objects naturally resist motions that attempt to move them out of their plane of rotation. The larger the impulse, the larger the resistance force that the rotating object exerts. This means that while it will resist the high-frequency movements of tremors, it will allow the motion of steady, deliberate movement. This will allow individuals to experience life without the disablement of hand tremors. Parkinson’s Tremor Stabilization Spoon After going through the problem statement, the objective of this work is to design a device for people suffering from (ET) and (PD). This device would help to nullify the tremor produced during eating. The main objective of the project is to focus on the design of an intelligent device that can recognize the tremor automatically by differentiating the frequency at the normal stage and at the shaking stage to accomplish the neutralizing effect in the shortest possible time. The main objectives of the work are stated as follows: -

• Aiming at the design of an intelligent sensor-based device that can perceive the tremor produced in the hands of older people while they were eating.

• The device would recognize automatically by differentiating the frequency at the normal stage and at the shaking stage to accomplish the neutralizing effect in the shortest possible time.

• The device should be easy to carry and ergonomically designed to provide comfort while using it.

• The device is used by older people should be easy to operate and handle.

1.3. Features

1.3.1. Handling the system

• To be held with one hand

• To be used by a left or right hand

1.3.2. To accept eating attachments

• To attach a spoon or fork

• To detach a spoon or fork

• To support the weight of the attachment

1.3.3. To be self-stabilizing

• To reduce attachment response in the X direction

• To reduce attachment response in the Y direction

• Turn the device on/off

1.3.4. Durability

• Minimize stains

• To have a 6 meals long operation time in each maintenance

• To resist impacts

Project Implementation Method

The Arduino Nano microcontroller is a small device and therefore suitable for small projects. The dimension of the board is 45 x 17 mm and approximately 10 mm thick with the pins attached. It is a breadboard based on the microchip at mega 328 and equipped with eight analog pins and 14 digital pins, of which six are PWM enabled. The MPU 6050 used in this circuit diagram uses the I2C communication protocol 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope values to control the axis of servo motors. The ESP 8266 module used in this project is used to receive data from Arduino Nano through RX and TX lines and send it to firebase The circuit design of the stabilizing spoon is based on Arduino and IMU 6050 is very simple and is explained below.

• The servo motor’s 1st pin is connected to Micro 9g servo Fs90 which will detect pulses and send them to Arduino Nano.

• External Interrupt Pins 2 and 3: These pins can be configured to trigger an interrupt on a low value, a rising or falling edge, or a change in value.

• PWM Pins 2, 10, and 11: PWM stands for Pulse Width Modulation technique, it is used to convert the digital signal into an analog by varying the width of the Pulse. These pins provide an 8-bit PWM output.

• Analog Pins A0-A5: Use to provide analog input in the range of 0-5V. A4 and A5 used for TWI communication.

• The IMU 6050 uses INT, SDL, SCA, VCC, and GND. VCC is connected to 5V and INT is connected to the D2 line of the Arduino Nano and SDL line is connected to the A4 pin and SCA is connected to the A5 pin.

• The ESP 8266 module uses VCC 3.3V, GND, RX, and TX lines to communicate with Arduino Nano to receive data and set it to firebase. 

Benefits of the Project

The main objectives of the work are stated as follows: -

• Aiming at the design of an intelligent sensor-based device that can perceive the tremor produced in the hands of older people while they were eating.

• The device would recognize automatically by differentiating the frequency at the normal stage and at the shaking stage to accomplish the neutralizing effect in the shortest possible time.

• The device should be easy to carry and ergonomically designed to provide comfort while using it.

• The device is used by older people should be easy to operate and handle.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Circuit Working: The component we have used in the circuit diagram are Arduino Nano, MPU 6050, ESP8266, Servo motor, and 9v battery. These components are connected to VCC and GND. In the initial state, Arduino Nano collects PWM from Servo motor 1 and 2 which is connected to the D10 and D11 digital pin. Then this information is sent from Arduino Nano to MPU 6050 through A4 pin to SDA. And then MPU 6050 process the data and transfer back the pulse through SCL to A5 pin in the Arduino Nano. Then this information is the pass to the servo motor through D10 and D11 pins then adjust the angle to stabilize the spoon. After this, the Rx and Tx pin of Arduino Nano transfer this information to the RX and TX pins of the ESP 8266 module. This information is then stored by ESP 8266 module in the firebase database. This process will repeat continuously until the task of the user is completed.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Medical

Other Industries

IT , Food

Core Technology

Internet of Things (IoT)

Other Technologies

Others

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com