14 DAY TRIAL // Old age, various injuries and diseases can wreak havoc on our hand-eye coordination, and few things can be as frustrating as suffering from constantly twitchy hands. Going from twitches to full-on trembling is even worse.
There are many things that such a health condition causes trouble to, from holding a book to having dinner, breakfast or any meal involving silverware.
Knowing how much frustration is caused by such situations, and seeing a chance to offset some of the downsides of Parkinson's disease in the process, Google has created the Liftware.
In a nutshell, it is a spoon with a thick handle which hides a mechanism capable of compensating for any unstable grip.
If you do your best to shake the unliving lights out of it, it won't manage to save your cereal portion, but it's assumed users will know better than to try that while they're actually eating, no matter the amusement value.
The Liftware spoon
To reduce the shaking of the spoon, Google used a technology which makes instant adjustments to the handle, much like other adaptive devices do it like rocket knives, weighted utensils and pen grips.
The spoons are said to reduce shaking by an average 76 percent. It's not perfect, but nothing ever is, and since that's the “average” benefit then you can be sure that most mouthfuls will make it to your lips just fine.
UC San Francisco Medical Center neurologist Dr. Jill Ostrem, who specializes in movement disorders like Parkinson's disease and essential tremors, acted as an advisor for the design team.
Parkinson's Disease has left many people in need of being spoon-fed by others, and the Liftware should restore some of their self-sufficiency and eliminate the source of embarrassment in one single swoop.
And with over 10 million people worldwide suffering from Parkinson's, you can be sure the Liftware will see demand. Google co-founder Sergey Brin's mother is one of them in fact.
The origins of Liftware and future contraptions
Originally, Lift lab was an independent entity founded by Anupam Pathak, but Google eventually assimilated the startup.
Now, the original team is part of Google(x) Life Sciences and is helping develop things like smart contact lenses that measure tear glucose levels (for diabetics), and other versions of everyday items that have room for one or more new abilities.
The Liftware spoon itself will get sensors that will help medical researchers in studying the illness, in addition to suggesting better ways to offset the tremors.
