Robotic Arm: Assistive Technology for Independent Feeding

Disabilities, such as those caused by spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and amputations, can impair upper limb function and limit eating autonomy, requiring third-party assistance. Thus, assistive technologies have emerged as viable alternatives for promoting greater independence and social inclusion. This article presents the development of an educational robotic arm with 5 degrees of freedom for use as a meal-assist robot. A 3D printer was used for the utensils and wood for the base. To receive user commands, a voice recognition module was implemented to identify the five programmed commands. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, several tests were conducted, including a water transfer test and execution time measurement. The assistive device successfully transported more than 75% of the water and completed each feeding cycle in 21 s, demonstrating its effectiveness in aiding the feeding process.