By Skylar Mullin

University of Maryland engineering students visited William S. Baer School in Baltimore on Thursday to test an assistive feeding device designed to help students with disabilities during mealtimes.

At the K-12 school for students with disabilities, a student used the assistive device for the first time on Thursday. With the press of a button, a mechanical arm scooped food from a bowl and extended a spoon toward him, allowing him to feed himself.

The school staff told the engineering majors that this was the most he had eaten in months.

Jasmin Ali, a senior mechanical engineering major and one of the students working on the device, said getting to see their project in action was rewarding.

“You come into class and you’re working on it. You’re not actually seeing it can affect somebody and make their life so much better,” Ali said.

The project is a part of ENES401, a senior-level engineering course called Entrepreneurial Design Realization for Projects of Impact, taught by Vincent Nguyen, a principal lecturer in mechanical engineering. The class allows students to apply what they’ve learned in classes to real-world projects, such as science kits for middle schoolers and the assistive feeding device.

Nguyen said the course is a part of a larger effort to integrate social and environmental sustainability into the mechanical engineering curriculum.

Ali and four other mechanical engineering students chose to work on the assistive feeding device project, a project that students have developed over the past two years.

Thomas Eusse, a senior mechanical engineering major, said the team inherited boxes of materials, instructions and documents from previous semesters. They spent the beginning of the semester sorting through material to determine what needed improvement.

One of the team’s goals was to make the feeding machine more affordable and accessible. Eusse said that, on average, commercial assistive feeding devices can cost thousands of dollars. The students estimate their device would cost about $300 in materials.

Ali pointed out that because their device is 3D-printed, it is easier to repair. Rather than replacing the entire machine, users with access to 3D printers can print replacement parts.

The device is designed to help people with motor or other disabilities feed themselves with minimal assistance from a caregiver. The spoon is attached to an arm that scoops from a bowl on a rotating plate. As the bowl rotates, the spoon is able to reach different areas of the bowl.

Users operate the device by pressing a button. Eusse said that thicker foods, like oatmeal and sticky rice, tend to work best because they stay on the spoon easily.

During their visit to Baer, Samantha Rigg, a junior mechanical engineering major, said they encountered a programming issue that caused the machine to malfunction when the button was pressed twice, sometimes preventing it from scooping food. She said the team is planning to troubleshoot the machine before their next visit, which would be later in the semester.

Despite the setback, Rigg said the student was excited to use the device.

“He was very excited to see us. It was like a wholesome feeling,” Rigg said. “He definitely smiled a lot.”

Eusse said the team is looking to work with Landon School, a private high school in Montgomery County and his alma mater.

According to Eusse, the high school is committed to building four feeders by January. Eusse said he hopes to strengthen the relationship, and potentially get more high schools involved.

In the long term, the team hopes to partner with a company to manufacture the devices.

For now, the students are focused on building more feeders and establishing partnerships to reach more people beyond their classroom.

Nguyen said he hopes students leave the class understanding that they don’t have to wait until they start their professional career to have an impact.

“It’s not like, ‘Oh, I can do this in 10 years when I’m [a] working engineer and senior in the field,” Nguyen said. “We can do it right here, right now.”

Featured Image: Front view of McKeldin mall on Nov. 4. Photo by Audrey Bengtson.