My inspiration for this robot came from my grandmother, who currently has Type II diabetes and peripheral neuropathy, meaning that she can not sense things that she touches. Neuropathy occurs because of damage to the nerves in appendages like the hands and feet. Diabetes causes a lot of cases of neuropathy, but it can also be caused by other illnesses and injuries. I found that 20 million people in the US alone have this condition. I wanted to help these people, so I came up with the idea for this gripper.
I found that soft robotics would be a great way to make this product, along with sensors to add to its usefulness. The small air channels in my gripper cause it to form a small hand-like structure when inflated. This can be used to pick up any object that it can get a hold of. The addition of specialized sensors like a temperature sensor, will allow users to find out if they can actually touch something. People with neuropathy can not sense temperature very well, and therefore could burn or seriously injure themselves without even knowing it.
Current treatments for this condition include prescription pain relieving drugs and antidepressants like oxycodone/oxycontin and amitriptyline. My product would not treat the pain relieving aspects of these drugs, but instead help patients perform everyday chores.