The development of handy 1. A robotic system to assist the severely disabled

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Topping, Michael J.^{; *} | Smith, Jane K.

Affiliations: Centre for Rehabilitation Robotics, Staffordshire University, PO Box 660, College Road, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, UK

Correspondence: [*] Tel.: +44 1782 294477; Fax: +44 1782 294414; Internet: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/RehabRobotics/.

Abstract: The Handy 1 was developed in 1987 by Mike Topping to assist an eleven-year-old boy with cerebral palsy to eat unaided. The system is the most successful low-cost, commercially available robotic system in the world to date, capable of assisting the most severely disabled with several everyday functions. This paper outlines the development of the Handy 1 and it's user acceptance during the last decade.

Keywords: rehabilitation, independence, Handy 1

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-1999-10203

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 95-105, 1999