I am trying to motorize an ice cream scoop for a young man with cerebral palsy. He has a job in a restaurant portioning butter into a ramekin. He can squeeze the scoop handles to get the butter out of the scoop, but he cannot release the handles. His neuro pathways just don’t work to do that. One idea is to attach a linear actuator to the handles that would power the handles open and closed.
Is there a way to send an image of the scoop showing more detail? I tried copy/paste, but I don’t think it will open the photo:
This is an interesting idea, and it can probably be made with a linear actuator.
My worries would be, how big and heavy would this scoop be with all of the electronics? Also, what would be the safety mechanism so you don’t get your fingers pinched by the handles?
Have you thought maybe about a scoop that uses some thermal energy to “dig” through the ice cream? Something like this Amazon.com
Thank you for responding. I’ve been wrestling with this for awhile and electronics is outside my skill set.
I’m not too worried about the weight with the mini linear actuator. The one I’m thinking about using weighs about 2.5 oz.
See https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N35WHJI/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1 The power source, a 12v battery pack would be remote with an inline rocker switch. One side of the switch would extend the actuator rod; the other side would retract the rod. The rocker switch may not be inline, but might be wireless. I’m not sure if I’d need some kind of transmitter for that or not.
I would re-work the handle so that his fingers would not be between the handle and the shaft.
I have thought about “heated” scoops" which are available, but the material being scooped is soft butter, not ice cream. I’m afraid it would get very messy.
I guess my only question now would be about the remote rocker switch. It would be great if it was wireless - less cumbersome than an inline switch. Do you know what I’d need to accomplish that?
Again, thank you for responding. The young man I’m trying help is doing his best to be productive and is thrilled to have landed this job at the restaurant. Right now, his mother is helping him with the scoop. It would be great if he could perform the task independently.
I actually have another idea for this. Use a solenoid instead of a linear actuator. I think it will be a lot simpler. A momentary push button switch (yes, he can push the button with his other hand) between the solenoid and battery pack.
Hoping this will work. I’ll let you know and send a photo of the finished product, if you’d like.
You can also take a look at our website, [www.maywehelp.org if you’re interested in the many other projects we’ve done.
