Liftware

Summary

Liftware is a brand name for a spoon designed to counteract the tremor associated with medical conditions such as Parkinson's disease[1] or essential tremors. The company which designed the projects, Lift Labs, was founded by Anupam Pathak, a University of Michigan Ph.D. student.[2]

Lift Labs Inc.
FoundedJanuary 1, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-01-01)
FounderAnupam Pathak
Headquarters
San Francisco, CA, US
ProductsLiftware
OwnerGoogle (2014–2015)
Alphabet Inc. (2015–present)
ParentGoogle (2014–2015)
Verily Life Sciences
(2015–present)
Websiteliftware.com

The device works by detecting tremors with an accelerometer then responding to them with an actuator.[3] The product first became available in December 2013.[4]

Lift Labs (which made the Liftware spoon) was acquired by Google in September 2014 for integration into then life sciences division of Google X.[5] Anupam Pathak became the technical lead for the division.[2]

Google launched its version of the spoon in November 2014, priced at $195.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ Neckar, Elisa (15 April 2014). "A Steady Spoon for a Shaky Hand". discovermagazine.com. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b Rushe, Dominic (2014-11-25). "Google launches 'smart' spoon to help steady shaking hands". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  3. ^ Gruneisen, T.A. (26 August 2013). "A New Spoon for Shaky Eaters". wired.com. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  4. ^ Jaffe, Ina (13 May 2014). "A Spoon That Shakes To Counteract Hand Tremors". npr.org. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  5. ^ Dougherty, Conor (10 September 2014). "Google Buys Lift Labs in Further Biotech Push - NYTimes.com". bits.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Liftware". Retrieved 28 February 2016.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Videos demonstrating product
  • Shaky hand, stable spoon: High-tech help for essential tremor - medical review