Development of a Novel and Cost-Effective Meal Assistance Robot for Self-Feeding

Abstract

Over recent years, a variety of meal-assistance robots have been developed, aimed at enhancing the quality of life for individuals suffering from conditions such as Parkinson's disease and stroke. To counteract the prevalent limitations of currently available meal-assistance robots, including high cost, complex operation, and limited dietary options, we have pioneered the development of a new, cost-effective, integrated feeding robot. This robot embodies a simplistic design that features a turntable, a lifting module, a telescopic rotating module, and a combined bowl-spoon mechanism, thus enabling users to select their preferred dishes via an intuitive button interaction interface. Experimental findings demonstrated that our developed feeding robot could facilitate independent eating for patients, thereby not only reducing caregiver workload but also significantly upholding the personal dignity of patients.