How to Make an Assistive Spoon Stabilizer Device

What is a spoon stabilizer?

A spoon stabilizer is a device that provides support and stability for individuals who experience tremors or shaky hands while eating. It is designed to fit over the end of a standard spoon, enabling the user to grasp the utensil more firmly and reduce the amount of movement and shaking. The stabilizer can help to prevent spills and make it easier to guide food to the mouth, allowing the user to eat with greater ease and confidence. The device can be particularly useful for those with conditions such as Parkinson's disease or essential tremor, which can cause involuntary hand movements and make it difficult to perform everyday tasks. With a spoon stabilizer, individuals can enjoy meals more comfortably and independently, enhancing their quality of life and promoting greater self-sufficiency.

Guide

I have used a few designs and pictures from the Makers Making a change website, but I have improved the design for this project and I will be walking through my exact process for the changes that I made. In this guide I was show you how to make your very own spoon stabilizer! In just a few simple steps, anyone, with any amount of experience can make this amazing assistive device!

• 3d printer
• hacksaw
• drill + 1/8th inch drill bit
• soldering iron
• m3 4mm heat insert
• m3 screw
• bearing
• super glue
• spoon
• Safety goggles
• fishing weight (optional)
• Computer case screw (optional)

Below is a link to a spreadsheet including where one can buy all the supplies and their individual costs

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRVnzq0teGXyO5t0ZSdGM0QwY2QGI-B79ysG7fAntznX9WSSK_eVYMkaHrcuoWEig/pubhtml

Below, I have attached my final fines, so if you have no interest in the design process you can skip these steps and go all the way down to printing.

Originally, I took the files provided by the makers on makers making a change. I realized that although this design was great, I would be able to use my engineering knowledge to improve it, I decided it would be best if I made the spoon easy to clean and adjustable to any size. To achieve this, I needed to make a file where the spoon piece I used this knowledge to create a file where one can fasten in the spoon so the design wouldn't be dependent on spoon size. This would also allow the user to remove the spoon and wash it like a normal utensil without having to wash the whole 3d print. Although this process may seem simple, it took me a long time to perfect and make sure everything fit together perfectly. These modifications have had an effect on the piece connecting the spoon to the handle, so none of the other files have to be edited. 

For the designing process, I have opted to use the Fusion 360 design software. Fusion 360 is a fantastic software for 3D printing design, offering a range of impressive features and a user-friendly interface that caters to both beginners and experienced users alike. Its parametric modeling capabilities are top-notch, allowing for precise and customizable designs, while its seamless integration with different 3D printing workflows and convenient cloud collaboration make it a go-to choice for creating optimized and functional designs ready for 3D printing.

To download the Fusion 360 software, click here

After opening up the Fusion 360 program, The first step is to create a sketch. Use the rectangle tool by hitting the keyboard shortcut "R" and create a 51mm by 51mm rectangle as shown in the picture. Next, Use the 3-point arch too to create arches that are exactly tangent to the rectangle (25.5mm in radius) on either side of the rectangle. Finally, use the offset tool to create an offset of the outline of the sketch by 5mm. This is a very good basis to begin.

To finish making the insertion piece, extrude the initial oval-ish shape (not the offset) 80mm. Then, create another extrusion of the offset area and the initial shape by 35mm. If this step is done correctly you should end up with something that looks exactly what I have in the pictures shown above.

After that, measure an area that is exactly 13.5mm away from the vertex of one of the two parabolas, then another 55mm up from that point. Then create a rectangle that is 220mm by 100mm extending towards the insertion piece as shown above. Finally, extrude the new area by 40mm.

The next step would be creating a 140mm by 110mm rectangle that extends from the corner of the body we just created. That rectangle can not be extruded by 100mm. This creates the main body of the piece. We are almost done so keep up the good work!

Find the center of your newly extruded body and create a new rectangle with the center rectangle command. This will save us some time measuring out where the center is. This new rectangle should measure out to be 95mm by 35mm. Finally, cut out the rectangle into the body by 120mm. This is where the spoon will sit when we are finished.

To create space for our heat insert and nut, measure a 40mm circle on the top side of the main body. You can then cut this out completely leaving a hole in the area where our spoon will eventually go. Directly opposite this hole, create a circumscribed hexagon also measuring 40mm. Cut out this area and make sure it matches up with the circle hole. When we are assembling, the nut will go in the hexagon hole and the heat insert will go in the circle hole.

This is the final step in the design process!!! This is technically optional as it does not actually affect the project in any way, but I highly recommend it because it looks a lot better. Using the fillet tool, select every edge on the outside of the shape, as shown in the picture, and create a 5mm fillet.

Now that you have your design file, the next step is to print it all out. I used the Prusa Mini, but any 3d printer will work. Make sure you are adding support where needed! If it's possible, Use some special settings to make this step faster. I found that painting on supports where I needed them (not just using supports everywhere) and lightning infill were very helpful because I found it to be just as sturdy while taking only a fraction of the time. In the end, the print took about 21 minutes to finish. The print should take about 1 hour and 30 minutes, but this time will vary depending on what printer you are using. I recommend removing supports with tweezers, but it is possible with fingers as well. Believe it or not, you are now done with this step!

The first step for assembly is gathering all your pieces. You should have 4 total 3d printed pieces, a ball bearing, a spoon, the heat insert, the nut, a screw, and fishing weights (optional). Next, take the spoon and cut it across the thinnest part of the handle with a hacksaw. This does not have to be a certain length, just cut wherever your spoon handle is thinnest. Next, insert the spoon into its attachment piece and mark with a pen where the hole lines up on the spoon. You should then drill that hole all the way through with your 1/8th-inch drill bit. Next, use your soldering iron on your heat instant and nut to press each of them into the 3d print. When you insert the spoon into the attachment piece, the holes should line up perfectly, and simply using the screw all the way through that hole will attach the spoon. Next, connect that piece with the piece that inserts into the ball bearing. You should be able to fit the ball bearing in snuggly with a little force and maybe use a hammer. To be extra safe you can use a little superglue, but be careful to only apply it to other outside. Next, you can attach the spoon pieces to the handle on the bearing. You may need a little more superglue here. Finally, you can put on the fishing weights in the back to balance out the spoon and glue on the back of the handle. A special focus I had to have on my project was making sure my spoon stabilizer is strongly built. You should expect the spoon to be dropped many times, especially for someone with shaky hands, so reinforcing it wherever possible is an absolute must. I ensured this by using using the metal screw and extra superglue (even in places that didn't need it). Look at the pictures for reference. (I used a fork for some of the steps, but it will work the exact same way). You are now finished with not only this step but the entire project! You can now enjoy your spoon stabilizer or give it to someone who needs it!