Parkinson’s disease can be isolating. Movement and non-motor symptoms alike can lead people to disengage from their families, their social circles and their community. That isolation can be detrimental to one’s sense of wellbeing as well as exacerbate Parkinson’s symptoms.
But the field of assisted technology can help. Innovations like braille-based smartphones and devices that allow people to operate a computer by blinking have helped people contend with other disabilities. And now this new field is helping people with Parkinson’s communicate and stay connected.
Silicon Valley-based engineer Anupam Pathak has developed a way to help people deal with the sometimes disabling tremors of Parkinson’s to enjoy a meal, a simple yet powerful act. His device is called Liftware, and it’s based on stabilization technology he first studied in graduate school, though initially with a very different focus in mind.
In our latest podcast Pathak talks with our contributing editor Dave Iverson on how he invented this technology and how it’s helping people with Parkinson’s disease.
