A helping hand

For the millions of people worldwide living with a disability, even simple tasks such as eating and drinking can be a nerve-wracking and socially awkward experience. While many of us take for granted indulging in an early morning coffee or dinner with family and friends, for people living with chronic, movement-related conditions such as Parkinson's disease, these tasks can be both long and arduous or require the help of a carer or family member. A number of assistive robotic devices that blend sensing, movement and information processing capabilities, are currently on the market - all of which aim to promote independent living and improve quality of life for the user and the user's family. While they can be effective, these systems still have some way to go before they are readily available to the masses. Not only are they bulky in size and not exactly discreet, they often come with a pretty hefty price tag. The Challenge The challenge this month, then, is to come up with a solution that helps people who have chronic or degenerative impairment in motor, sensory and/or cognitive abilities, to eat or drink more easily and more autonomously. The device, which could also benefit the elderly, must be highly discrete to ensure people's dignity is maintained, and work to reduce spillages and waste. Fundamentally, it must be something of real practical benefit. Cost is also a key factor. The solution is simple, elegant, relatively inexpensive (less than £50) and uses off-the-shelf technology. It blends advanced materials, adhesives and high-tech bearings, all of which have been assembled with elegance. When you see the device you may consider it obvious, but in the meantime, see if you can come up with something better. -Solution- Solution to December 2012 Coffee Time Challenge The Solution to the December 2012 Coffee Time Challenge of how to come up with a solution to help people with disabilities eat or drink more easily comes from British inventor Chris Peacock. Peacock, who has a Masters in Design Engineering from the Royal College of Art, developed the handSteady mug after a close family member was diagnosed with Parkinson's. He could see how this would one day make drinking with a cup difficult and unsafe and came up with a solution. handSteady is the world's first cup to incorporate Rotatable Handle technology. It operates in a similar way to a steady camera that film producers use to get a steady shot. The Double Arc handle design ensures a comfortable and secure hold for up to four fingers – which is great for people with a limited grip. State of the art materials have been deployed with self-lubricating bearings to ensure the mug can be dishwashed, colour matched to bone-china and not break if dropped. The design incorporates Curved Rim technology to ensure the rim of the cup is comfortable for the lips, avoid drip stains forming on the outside of the cup and guides liquid to the centre of the mouth. The product comes with an anti-slip base which grips cups to tables and removes the need for coasters and absorbs the sound of cups when placed on a surface. The Hidden Lid resides below the rim of the cup, has a drink hole, reduces spillages and is discrete to ensure people's dignity is maintained. For more info visit www.handsteady.com.