A Spoonful of Support

Shadon’s wide, expressive eyes grew bigger as a bowl of strawberry applesauce was set in front of him. The nonverbal 7-year-old was born without functioning elbows, and eating independently normally requires him to lean over a table, arms locked, and snatch up morsels with his mouth straight from a bowl. But on Tuesday at the William S. Baer School in Northwest Baltimore, he experienced a new way of eating.

He nodded readiness to his physical therapist and used the back of his hand to press a button he gripped in his lap, which was wired to an electronic device holding the applesauce. Clenching a spoon, a robotic arm dipped into the bowl, scooped a hearty dollop and steered it gracefully toward Shadon, who gobbled up the fruity treat without spilling a drop. “Mmm,” he approved with a grin.  

The 3D-printed feeder—it resembles the base of a coffeemaker with the robotic arm affixed above—was designed by University of Maryland undergraduates and presented to school staff on Tuesday during snack time. The students built it for Shadon, but after getting feedback and making tweaks, they will print two more prototypes for classmates at the school for children with special needs, then supply their code and assembly instructions to a manufacturer that can distribute copies across Baltimore and beyond.

“We're typically looking for bigger projects that will have broader impacts, so once these students graduate, it becomes something that continues in perpetuity,” said Vincent Nguyen, principal lecturer of mechanical engineering who runs the class, “Entrepreneurial Design Realization for Projects of Positive Impact.” The course is open to upperclassmen of all majors; projects often overlap multiple semesters, allowing participants to feel like they’re part of a greater purpose, he said.

Nguyen and two students traveled to the Baer school to give a tutorial and see their design in action. After conquering his first bite, Shadon again pressed the button, which swung the spoon to its original position. Then he locked and loaded again, swallowing the sauce and giving a proud look to his mother, who watched happily. 

With a built-in joystick, the feeder can be customized and calibrated for any spoon or bowl size. It also allows users like Shadon to spin the bowl in quarter turns by holding down the button so he can scoop every last bite. (Shadon devoured his first portion in five minutes.) If the spoon hits resistance mid-swing, it retracts, then swoops in again.

The partnership between UMD and Baer kicked off in 2024 after Lauren Fischer, a physical therapist who works with several Baltimore City Public Schools students with severe disabilities, noticed Shadon growing frustrated that he couldn’t eat like classmates who don’t require constant help. His favorite food is Fruit Loops, but milk requires spoon-feeding by an aide.

Describing him as “fiercely independent,” Fischer reached out to the IMAGE Center, a Towson, Md.-based disability advocacy organization that partners with volunteer engineers, student engineers and occupational and physical therapists, to inquire about acquiring a custom feeding device that would be cheaper than off-the-shelf models, which can run thousands of dollars. 

It so happened that the IMAGE Center was already working with Nguyen’s class on such a low-cost tool, inspired by a more expensive, semi-3D-printed model designed by engineers with the University of Puerto Rico affiliated with the IMAGE Center. “We thought this would be a fun 3D-printing project for University of Maryland engineering students that fit into a semester-long format,” said Angela Tyler, program consultant for the IMAGE Center’s Volunteer Medical Professionals Program. 

“Working on projects like this is one of the reasons I wanted to become an engineer,” said Shua Halle ’24, who helped launch the project in 2023, obtaining affordable electronic components and designing the feeder’s motor code. He’s now a graduate student studying robotics systems development at Carnegie Mellon University.

As Shadon enjoyed his second helping, Nathan Chanzran ’26, a mechanical engineering major who has worked on the project for a year through an independent study course, leaned over, hands on knees, watching the robotic arm whir and arc. 

“It’s just great to see how dignifying the experience is for Shadon,” he said later. “You can see he’s so happy.”

Fischer, watching her student spin the bowl adroitly, said she was proud of him. “Now the Fruit Loops will be so easy!” she said.