MEAM.Design - Senior Design - Team 05 (Cynthia, Mallory, Monica S., Monica T.)

Robotic Self-Feeder for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Our project is a collaborative effort between MEAM Senior Design and the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy. 70-80% of all recorded cases are classified as spastic cerebral palsy (Dormans, 1998). This type is characterized by hypertonia, abnormal postures, and spasticity. As a result of these complications, among others, many cerebral palsied children face day-to-day feeding challenges. These children must be fed in a specific way and reminded to chew and to swallow. Unless a self-feeder is used, a specially trained aide must feed the child with cerebral palsy until he or she develops the required motor skills. This process can be time-consuming, difficult, and demeaning to cerebral palsied children. We will design and create a robotic feeding system for the students at the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy. While some systems like this already exist, they are often expensive, easy to break, and have problems with food delivery.



Part 1 - Deliverables

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Project tender - 09/24/09

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Project Proposal - 10/15/09

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Design Report 1 - 12/10/09


Part 2 - Design Details

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Our functional prototype was constructed from acrylic and wood. Links and mechanical couplings were designed on Solidworks and cut out of acrylic on the laser cutter.

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In order to create a smooth and controlled trajectory, we chose to place both a motor and an angle sensor at each joint. For the middle joint and the spoon joint, DC motors with coupled potentiometers comprise a simple proportional control loop. For the base joint, a DC motor with an optical encoder was used.
In future prototypes, we hope to add at least PI control with the possibility of more advanced controls. New motors will be purchased for joints 1 and 2 (the base and middle joints). New linear rotary potentiometers will also be purchased.

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This subsystem is set for development in the Spring semester.

Contact Information

Cynthia Ericksen (cynthiae@seas.upenn.edu)
Mallory Jensen (jensenma@seas.upenn.edu)
Monica Sachs (monicals@seas.upenn.edu)
Monica Thomas (monicave@seas.upenn.edu)

Advisor

Dr. Katherine Kuchenbecker (kuchenbe@seas.upenn.edu)

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