Shape Memory Alloy Actuated Hand Held Stabilization Device

Abstract

Tremors affect millions of people in the United States, causing tasks like eating and application of makeup to be difficult, and sometimes impossible. Most current solutions such as drug treatments, surgical treatments and tremor suppression devices have uncomfortable or health threatening side effects. An active cancellation device could be a promising solution; however current devices are expensive and only available for precision surgeries, not for everyday home use. Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators may solve the difficulty of producing this canceling motion within a very constrained package. This project aims to develop a handheld stabilizing device using SMA actuation to cancel the motion of hand tremors in utensils commonly used in daily tasks, allowing those with hand tremors to become self sufficient.