Founded | January 1, 2010 |
---|---|
Founder | Anupam Pathak |
Headquarters | San Francisco, CA, US |
Products | Liftware |
Owner | Google (2014–2015) Alphabet Inc. (2015–present) |
Parent | Google (2014–2015) Verily Life Sciences (2015–present) |
Website | liftware |
Liftware is a brand name for a spoon designed to counteract the tremor associated with medical conditions such as Parkinson's disease [1] or essential tremors. The company which designed the projects, Lift Labs, was founded by Anupam Pathak, a University of Michigan Ph.D. student. [2]
The device works by detecting tremors with an accelerometer then responding to them with an actuator. [3] The product first became available in December 2013. [4]
Lift Labs (which made the Liftware spoon) was acquired by Google in September 2014 for integration into then life sciences division of Google X. [5] Anupam Pathak became the technical lead for the division. [2]
Google launched its version of the spoon in November 2014, priced at $195. [6]
Essential tremor (ET), also called benign tremor, familial tremor, and idiopathic tremor, is a medical condition characterized by involuntary rhythmic contractions and relaxations of certain muscle groups in one or more body parts of unknown cause. It is typically symmetrical, and affects the arms, hands, or fingers; but sometimes involves the head, vocal cords, or other body parts. Essential tremor is either an action (intention) tremor—it intensifies when one tries to use the affected muscles during voluntary movements such as eating and writing—or it is a postural tremor, present with sustained muscle tone. This means that it is distinct from a resting tremor, such as that caused by Parkinson's disease, which is not correlated with movement.
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