Project Description:
Our project is an assistive device for the elderly and physically disabled to retrieve items off the ground without having to bend over, as most commercially available grabber tools do not have retractable mechanisms with fully encompassing end-effectors. Our device is meant to allow the elderly to safely retrieve small common items such as keys, pills, and hearing aids from various surfaces such as carpet, bumpy terrains, and sand. The device features an extendable and retractable arm with a spherical jaw that can enclose small, target items. Our motivations for this project came from our experience either working with elderly assistive devices in the past in addition to having family members that would benefit from this device.
