Smart faucet to help individuals with spinal cord injuries drink and groom independently
Official title: Access-H20: Sensor driven smart faucet to enable and empower independent drinking and grooming for individuals impacted by spinal cord injury
Funded at Nasoni LLC · NIH-10934588 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is creating a smart faucet to help people with spinal cord injuries, especially those with neck injuries, by making it easier for them to get water for drinking and grooming, so they can feel more independent in their daily lives.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Nasoni LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Suffolk, United States) |
| Project start | September 25, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $943,848 |
| NIH project number | 5R44HD108061-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-10934588 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are individuals with spinal cord injuries, particularly those who experience quadriplegia or have limited mobility.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have spinal cord injuries or those with minimal functional impairments may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing a smart faucet designed specifically for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI), particularly those with cervical injuries. The faucet will utilize advanced sensors and algorithms to automate water flow, temperature, and delivery methods, making it easier for users to perform daily activities such as drinking and grooming. By enhancing accessibility to water, the project aims to empower users to regain independence in their daily lives, which is crucial for improving their overall quality of life. The design will accommodate various user needs, allowing for both traditional and innovative water delivery methods.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly enhance the independence and quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injuries by enabling them to perform daily activities more easily.
How similar studies have gone: While there have been advancements in assistive technologies for individuals with disabilities, this specific approach of a smart faucet for SCI is relatively novel and untested.
Where this research is happening
-
Nasoni LLC
Suffolk, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Waddell, John Steven — Nasoni LLC
- Study coordinator: Waddell, John Steven
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Corticospinal neurons and recovery of precise forelimb movement after spinal cord injury
This project studies how spine injuries change brain circuits and whether targeted rehabilitation helps restore precise forelimb movement.
-
How baclofen and spinal cord stimulation interact in people with spinal cord injury
This study looks at how a common antispasmodic medicine (baclofen) works together with spinal cord stimulation in people who have spinal cord injuries and live with spasticity.
-
Targeting spinal cord inflammation with a new HuR inhibitor to help SCI patients
A new treatment approach uses a small molecule to block a brain-spinal inflammation regulator (HuR) that drives harmful inflammation after spinal cord injury, aiming to lessen damage and pain for people with SCI.
-
From Neural Control of Movement to Treatments for Spinal Cord Injury
A patient-focused project aims to translate how brain signals control movement after spinal cord injury into new treatments that improve muscle function and reduce spasticity.
-
Polaris: a compact system to help motor recovery after spinal cord injury and stroke
A new, easy-to-use device called Polaris may help people with spinal cord injury, stroke, or other chronic conditions regain movement by guiding a specialized reflex-based therapy.
-
Predicting and Preventing Chronic Aspiration After Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
This project looks at swallowing problems and chronic aspiration in adults with traumatic neck spine injuries to find patterns that could prevent serious lung complications.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.