Obi Feeding Robot

People with limited arm mobility use Obi's switch-controlled robotic spoon to eat independently when no caregiver is present, replacing one of the most intimate forms of human help with a device they control themselves.

ENABLE Model location

• Navigator-side Compensations → Use Assistive Technologies
• Builder-side Interventions → Design Accessible Experiences

What it is

Obi is a robotic self-feeding device made by DESIN LLC (pronounced "design"), co-founded by Jon Dekar and his father Tom Dekar in 2010. Jon Dekar, a University of Dayton mechanical engineering graduate, conceived the first prototype in 2006 in his dorm room.¹ Two experiences shaped the device. As a teenager working in nursing homes, Dekar watched residents lose the ability to feed themselves. Later, his grandfather, a Navy veteran, developed a degenerative neuromuscular disease that paralyzed his arms. The dependency on being fed affected his grandfather's dignity.² During engineering school, a professor introduced Dekar to a young girl named Hope who had arthrogryposis. Hope's mother wanted her daughter to eat "with more dignity" and to avoid "putting her face in a plate of food."³ Dekar built his first prototype specifically for Hope. A decade later, the team reunited with Hope and presented her with a completed Obi.³

The development spanned ten years from concept to market. Early prototypes went through alpha and beta stages from 2006 to 2012. From 2014 to 2016, "Charlie" prototypes were used for extensive in-home user testing before manufacturing began.³ Sundberg-Ferar, a Michigan-based design firm, assisted with industrial design and mechanical engineering.⁴ Obi was formally launched in 2015, won an R&D 100 award in 2016 in the "mechanical and materials" category,² and DESIN won the Dayton Chamber's 2017 Soin Award for Innovation, which included a $25,000 prize.¹

The device has a programmable robotic arm and four food compartments. The user presses a switch to select a compartment. The arm scoops the food and delivers it to the user's mouth. The switch can be activated by any body part: a hand, a foot, a head, a chin, a knee, or a blink.² The arm can be programmed for 6,000 different feeding positions within one millimeter of accuracy.⁵ After a caregiver guides the arm once from bowl to mouth, Obi calibrates to the user's position using a memory button.⁶ Obi is FDA-registered as a Class I electronic medical device.⁷ It weighs 7.7 pounds and fits in a carrying case the size of a laptop bag, designed to travel to restaurants and other locations.⁶

Obi costs approximately $6,000.⁸ One review listed it at $5,950; another at $12,000.^{8 9} Veterans who qualify can receive Obi at no cost through the VA Federal Supply Schedule.⁷ Non-veterans may seek reimbursement through private insurance or Medicaid, though Medicare generally does not cover it.⁸ Some users crowdfund the cost through GoFundMe or similar platforms.¹⁰ The price places it out of reach for many of the people who need it most.

Obi serves people with ALS, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, amputations, and stroke.⁷ The device is now available in over 20 countries.³ The current generation, Obi 3, introduced improvements in software, accessories, and design. DESIN presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association's Inspire conference in 2024, demonstrating the device to occupational therapists.

Why it matters

Eating is one of the most basic acts of daily living. It is also one of the most intimate. When a person cannot bring food to their own mouth, every meal depends on another person's availability, pace, and willingness. The caregiver decides when the next bite arrives. The caregiver decides when the meal is over. John Beer, a New Mobility reviewer who has multiple sclerosis and has used Obi for three years, described the dynamic: eating with a caregiver creates a "dependency relationship."⁸ A user on the Your ALS Guide site described how Obi eliminates "the hurrying that inevitably comes with a person-feeding-person situation."¹¹ Obi replaces that dependency with a switch the user controls.

The ENABLE Model identifies Obi as a navigator-side assistive technology that reduces reliance on human help. The device does not fix the upstream conditions that make feeding assistance necessary. It does not make restaurants accessible, reform insurance coverage, or increase caregiver availability. It gives one person control over one meal. That is significant because the alternative is not eating alone. The alternative is not eating at all, or eating only when someone else is available.

Obi also represents a builder-side design intervention. Dekar started from the experience of watching his grandfather lose dignity at mealtimes.² He deliberately designed Obi to look friendly, questioning whether robots must be "stiff and... well, robotic."⁶ Beer compared its appearance to Pixar's Luxo Jr. lamp.⁸ The design firm Sundberg-Ferar brought industrial design, mechanical engineering, prototyping, design research, and experience design to the project.⁴ Wright State University's assistive technology specialist Katherine Myers emphasized the social dimension: "There is a social aspect to eating and this way students can be totally social."⁵ The design choices reflect an understanding that eating is not just about nutrition. It is about participation.

The ENABLE Model asks whether Obi is a disability dongle or a functional assistive technology. The evidence points to the latter. The device emerged from personal experience with disability, not from a hackathon or semester project. In-home user testing with "Charlie" prototypes ran for two years before manufacturing.³ Users describe genuine independence gains. Beer called Obi "the best thing I own" after three years of daily use.⁸ David H., who has ALS, reported gaining back ten pounds: "This is the first time I've ever gained something since my diagnosis."⁷ The device was not built for a pitch deck. It was built for a dining table. That said, Dekar is not disabled. The question of whether disabled people held decision-making power beyond user testing is not answered in public materials. University of Washington researchers working on a competing robotic feeding arm have adopted a "community researcher" model where disabled participants collaborate from initial concept through publication, and found that about half of assistive robotics research papers "had no involvement whatsoever from anyone with a disability."¹²

The cost question complicates the picture. At $6,000 or more, Obi is inaccessible to many of the people who need it. Medicare generally does not cover it.⁸ David Hare, an Obi user, put it directly: "You can't put a price tag on that," referring to the independence the device provides.⁶ But someone does put a price tag on it. Access depends on wealth, veteran status, or the willingness to crowdfund. Wright State University addressed this by securing a $15,000 grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation's Quality of Life Program, making three Obi units available in campus dining halls at no cost to students.⁵ Wright State is believed to be the only university offering this technology. The ENABLE Model question is whether the gap between the device's existence and its affordability constitutes a form of precarity. The technology works. Access to it is fragile.

Obi does not eliminate the need for caregivers. Someone must fill the compartments, position the device, and set the spoon delivery point via the memory button. What Obi changes is the relationship. The caregiver prepares. The user eats. Beer's wife fills the bowls and positions the spoon, then Beer controls the rest.⁸ The caregiver is freed to eat their own meal at the same time.⁶ The caregiving labor shifts from feeding to setup.

Real-world examples

In the news

Me and My Obi: A Report Card for a Simple, Powerful Eating Aid
-- John Beer, New Mobility

• John Beer, who has multiple sclerosis and is "down to one arm with no finger movement," reviewed Obi after three years of daily use. He called it "the best thing I own" besides his wheelchair and van. Beer described how the device transformed eating from a dependency relationship into independence: his wife fills the bowls and positions the spoon via a memory button, then Beer controls the rest. He noted the device handles most foods well, costs $5,950, and that customer service replaced parts and included an extra spoon at no charge. The review documents Obi as a navigator-side assistive technology that directly reduces reliance on human help.⁸

Comfort Food: Wright State deploys Obi robots in campus dining halls (April 2019)
-- Jim Hannah, Wright State University Newsroom

• Wright State University deployed three Obi robots in campus dining halls, funded by a $15,000 Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation grant. Of Wright State's approximately 1,000 students registered with the Office of Disability Services, 15 to 20 with multiple disabilities previously relied on personal caregivers for feeding assistance. Freshman Sarah Faith Davis described the impact: "When I used it for the first time, it made me feel like I could be really independent with feeding myself." Assistive technology specialist Katherine Myers added: "There is a social aspect to eating and this way students can be totally social." Wright State is believed to be the only university offering this technology.⁵

Meet Obi: Dayton-produced robot helping others enjoy mealtime
-- Thomas Gnau, Dayton Daily News

• The Dayton Daily News profiled DESIN LLC and co-founder Jon Dekar, documenting how Obi emerged from Dekar's experience watching his grandfather's dignity erode when he could no longer feed himself. Gem City Engineering in Dayton manufactures the devices, with plans for 150 units per month and about a dozen employees involved in procurement, assembly, and shipping.²

• David H., a person living with ALS, reported that Obi helped him gain back ten pounds: "This is the first time I've ever gained something since my diagnosis."⁷
• A 20-year-old Obi user described the shift: "I can feed myself without my friends having to feed me, and it feels so awesome!"⁹
• Shelly H., a U.S. Navy veteran with ALS, noted that before Obi, eating was "a horrible struggle" as her shoulders and hands were failing. With Obi she maintained weight and ate independently.¹¹
• One user described how Obi eliminates "the hurrying that inevitably comes with a person-feeding-person situation," reducing the danger of food aspiration and allowing users to savor food again.¹¹
• Heath, a pediatric Obi user, described the change: "Before I had the Obi, I had to be fed and I kind of felt like a baby, but with this, I can feed myself, so I don't feel like a baby."¹³
• DESIN won the 2017 Soin Award for Innovation from the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, which included a $25,000 prize. Dekar described it as "an incredible 10-year journey to go from my dorm room prototype to having Obi units manufactured and ready to sell."¹

What care sounds like (builder-side interventions)

Care at the design stage involves building feeding devices that start from the user's experience of mealtimes:

• "We believe dining is one of life's greatest pleasures that everyone should enjoy." -- Jon Dekar¹
• "Independent eating is possible."
• "The switch can be activated by any body part. We do not assume what the user can move."
• "Charlie prototypes were used for extensive in home user testing before manufacturing."³
• "We put Obi on the VA Federal Supply Schedule so veterans can get it at no cost."
• "There is a social aspect to eating and this way students can be totally social." -- Katherine Myers, Wright State University⁵

What neglect sounds like (builder-side interventions)

Neglect involves treating feeding assistance as a problem solved by caregivers or ignored by institutions:

• "The patient can be fed by a nurse."
• "Medicare doesn't cover feeding devices."
• "The caregiver can handle mealtimes."
• "We'll look into adaptive equipment if families request it."
• "It's too expensive for what it does."

What compensation sounds like (navigator-side compensations)

Compensation describes the labor disabled people and their caregivers carry when feeding independence is unavailable:

• "Before I had the Obi, I had to be fed and I kind of felt like a baby." -- Heath¹³
• "Before Obi, eating was a horrible struggle as my shoulders and hands were failing." -- Shelly H., veteran living with ALS¹¹
• "I have to wait for someone to be free before I can eat."
• "My meals happen on my caregiver's schedule, not mine."
• "She feeds me first, then eats her own dinner cold."

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All observations occur within the context of assistive dining technology in the United States, where Obi represents one approach to independent eating for people with upper-extremity mobility impairments, and where the gap between the device's capability and its affordability reflects the broader precarity of assistive technology access.

Footnotes

1. Dayton Chamber of Commerce: DESIN LLC 2017 Soin Award for Innovation Winner ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Dayton Daily News: Meet Obi: Dayton-produced robot helping others enjoy mealtime ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Obi: Our Story ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

4. Sundberg-Ferar: OBI Robotic Feeding Device ↩ ↩²

5. Wright State University Newsroom: Comfort Food ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

6. Abilities Expo: Obi: Feeding Yourself is a Robotic Arm Away ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

7. Meet Obi: The Independent Eating Device ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. New Mobility: Me and My Obi: A Report Card for a Simple, Powerful Eating Aid ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

9. Rehabmart: Obi Robotic Feeding Device Review ↩ ↩²

10. BrainAndSpinalCord.org: Meet Obi: The Robotic Feeding Device for People with Disabilities ↩

11. Your ALS Guide: Obi Dining Robot ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. OPB: People with motor impairments help develop robotic feeding assistant at University of Washington ↩

13. Tecla: Introducing Obi: Experience Independent Eating ↩ ↩²