To counteract the problem of hand tremors and restore confidence among individuals facing challenges in their daily lives with excessive shaking of hands, a group of school students have developed an innovative and user-friendly solution. The innovation has come ahead of the World Parkinson’s Day on April 11. The device called Dextrabot is for those suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Six students; Vaidehi Saxena, Madhavi Ojha, Subah Raman, Tvisha Raj, Oorjit Mahajan and Viryansh Rastogi from class X of Shiv Nadar School (an initiative of the philanthropic Shiv Nadar Foundation), came up with the innovation. They worked on tackling the issue of hand tremors among Parkinson’s disease patient.
They conducted an internal online survey and found that 32.9% were suffering from the problem of hand tremors or knew someone who faced this issue.
These students develop DEXTRABOT, a device that is both inexpensive and effective in the treatment of hand tremors. It enables individuals to perform daily actions like eating, drinking, pouring and brushing with better hand stability.
‘Dextrabot’ is a gyroscopically stable robotic handle (Gyroscopic motion is the tendency of a rotating object to maintain the orientation of its rotation) with options for adding various attachments including spoon, fork, toothbrush, and more which can help people suffering from essential tremors. This light weight device stands out for its unique sensory mechanism and is designed using electronics and robotics. The product comes with an ergonomic handle, dual-axis correction, and works on the Arduino Nano technique which helps control the sensor.
The product was created with inputs from patients and doctors from the start to ensure that ample input is married into the designing phase. Following a thorough research that highlights the life of people affected with this issue and little interventions available in the market to improve their quality of life, the team wants to cater to this niche group by collaborating with NGOs and old-age homes. The medicine which is the first and main line of treatment for hand-tremors is expensive, therefore, this product aims to make a difference in the lives of affected individuals by offering a lasting and empowering solution.
The innovation is an outcome of the Capstone Project at Shiv Nadar School, where students are encouraged to ideate and devise economically viable and creative solutions to address real-world problems.
Currently, India has seven million elders afflicted with Parkinson’s and about 70 percent of patients start experiencing tremors within the early stages of the disease. People also suffer essential hand tremors due to nervous system disorder and strokes.
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