Verily Life Sciences recently launched an innovative assistive technology device named the ‘Liftware Level’. This device is built to help people with movement disorders or having limited mobility to that keep, hold and lift utensils while eating. The Liftware Level device uses electronic motion-stabilizing technology to ensure that eating utensils stay at a steady level regardless of how the user’s hand and arm may twist, bend, or move.
The technology also helps users hold the utensil at the specifically required angle to feed themselves more easily. The sensors located inside the handle of the Liftware Level device track the user’s hand positions continuously adjust them accordingly to accommodate the person’s hand and arm mobility limitations so they can eat at ease. “We’ve seen that Liftware Steady, our original product, has helped those suffering from hand tremor relax and enjoy the company of those around them instead of worrying about the task at hand,” Anupam Pathak, creator of Liftware and technical lead at Verily, stated.
The Liftware Steady device consists of a computerized stabilizing handle and a selection of utensil attachments that are engineered to counteract hand tremor effects.
“One of the greatest pleasures in life is being able to enjoy a meal with friends and family — an activity that some may take for granted,” Pathak said. “Liftware Level is a utensil designed to specifically address mealtime struggles facing individuals with limited mobility or range of motion. Designed and developed with significant input from physicians and potential users, we hope this new device will turn the everyday task of eating into a more pleasurable experience for more people living with movement disorders.”
The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA), aided by a charitable contribution from Teva Pharmaceuticals, is launching a donation program for supplying free Liftware Level Starter Kits to 1,000 people in need. The kits will be provided to the first 1,000 individuals who apply through the HDSA website.
“For the estimated 30,000 Americans affected by Huntington’s disease, loss of independence to perform simple daily tasks is devastating,” said Louise Vetter, president and CEO of the HDSA. “We believe that the new Liftware Level device will help many more people be empowered to improve their quality of life and truly enjoy mealtime again.”
The Liftware Level Starter Kit is priced at $195 and consists of a leveling handle, a soup spoon attachment, a travel pouch, a hand strap, and a charger. The fork attachment is available separately for an additional price of $35. The kit is available for order now at the company’s online store.
About Liftware
Liftware aims at improving the quality of life and independence for people living with motion-related disorders. The Liftware team, which comprised of scientists and engineers, is developing readily smart devices that allow individuals to complete daily tasks more easily and with confidence.
About Verily Life Sciences
Verily is a life sciences research and engineering organization that is focused on improving healthcare outcomes by applying the latest scientific and technological advances to significant problems in health and biology. Verily is targeting dual objectives of creating tools and user-friendly platforms to capture a deeper and broader set of health data, and also in organizing the data, so that it is useful and actionable. The company partners with leading life sciences, medical device, and government organizations to leverage deep domain expertise and resources that enable exponentially faster development, meaningful advancements, and deployment at scale.
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