Two SMU students are making big waves in the field of Parkinson's Disease.
Senior Raleigh Dewan and junior Mason Morland developed a new tool that's already getting national attention and while it's a big accomplishment, it's also a very meaningful one.
Together, they constantly finetune what could be the next big thing in the care of Parkinson's Disease.
The two are behind what they've called The SteadiSpoon, which is a mechanical spoon that stays steady through the tremors of a Parkinson's patient, helping them feed themselves without assistance.
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Dewan said he came up with this after watching Steadicams used to film movies in Hollywood.
"What if we could have a self-stabilizing device, kind of based off the Steadicam technology from Hollywood? I can help everybody," said Dewan.
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The desire to help, however, stemmed from watching his own grandmother battle with Parkinson's.
He said she was known for her big meals that brought the entire family together.
"She sat down and the tremors acted up and she couldn't really feed herself. It was just absolutely heartbreaking," said Dewan.
Together, Dewan and Moreland got to work.
"That's how it began, the two of us sitting in a classroom late at night for about two hours every night, writing a business plan, creating a pitch deck and getting that presentation ready to pitch for that first big ideas competition at SMU," said Morland.
SteadiSpoon was also just awarded a grant for $20,000 from VentureWell, which helps students advance their inventions through a combination of funding, training, mentorship, and networking with peers and industry experts.
Human trials at the OU Health Science Center’s motion capture lab tested Parkinson’s patients feeding themselves without assistance, and as they ate using SteadiSpoon™.
The trial showed that SteadiSpoon performed just shy of its target at 95% of the efficacy of the leading motorized solution.
"We are trying to help solve a pain point that will help so many people enjoy a better quality of life in the future and it makes me feel connected to my grandmother," said Dewan.
Dewan and Morland hope production on the SteadiSpoon can begin by next year.
