A Users Perspective on the Handy 1 System
Stephanie O'Connell1 and Mike Topping BA Cert Ed.2
1Flat 12 Gordon Clifford Court, St. Anthony's Court, Bracknell, Berkshire, UK
2Research Development Manager at Centre for Rehabilitation Robotics,
Staffordshire University, School of Art and Design, College Road, Stoke on Trent,
Staffordshire, ST4 2XN, UK
Abstract
The Handy 1 was developed in 1987 by Mike Topping to assist an 11-year-old boy with cerebral
palsy to eat unaided. The system is the most successful low-cost, commercially available
robotic system in the world to date, capable of assisting the most severely disabled with
several everyday functions such as drinking, washing, shaving, cleaning teeth and applying
makeup [1]. This paper outlines the development of the Handy 1 and provides a case history
of Stephanie O'Connell, one of the Handy 1 users, in which she gives her views of the
system and how it has altered her live.
Full Paper
Last modified: Thu Jan 21 10:38:39 PST 1999