What is an eating robot?

An eating robot (also known as a mealtime robot) is a special form of arm robot that has been optimized to support a meal. The eating robot is a movable plastic arm that guides a spoon between a plate and the patient’s mouth at the patient’s “command”.

In this way, a meal can be taken without the need for a third party to pass the food or lower the patient’s head. The meal is served in a special plate. The plate has several bowls in which the meal is portioned. Using a microswitch, the patient can guide the robotic arm to the desired bowl on the plate, push the food onto the spoon and guide the spoon to the mouth. Certain elements of the movement (e.g. loading the food onto the spoon) are “automatic”. The robotic arm is optimized for these movements. The movement of the spoon to the mouth is also very easy to adjust and adapt to individual physical dimensions.

The meal robot has achieved a high level of acceptance and is primarily used by ALS patients who have severe arm weakness on the one hand, but have good swallowing function on the other. The plate system can also be washed in a regular dishwasher. The eating robot is very light and can also be taken with you when eating outside the home. Some patients also take the eating robot with them to a restaurant to enjoy a meal in company. This aid (like other arm robots) is also used in a very individual way.

The costs can be covered by health insurance on the basis of a doctor’s prescription and a trial by specialized providers. Due to the limited experience with health insurance approval processes to date, care by a specialized ALS center (with experience in decision-making, justification and answering expert questions) as well as by specialized aid providers and coordination by outpatient partners is also recommended here.