Validation of a Smart Stove for Traumatic Brain Injury Patients in a Cooking Task

Abstract

Each year, thousands of individuals sustain a traumatic brain injury leaving them diminished in various spheres. The impacts of such a condition are multifaceted and may change the lifestyle of victims and their families, who often take on the role of natural caregivers. Victims are often young adults who wish to maintain a lifestyle similar to the one they had prior to their accident. Though certain cases imply that resuming their activities of daily living is not a possibility, others will be able to live a fairly normal life with the help of natural caregivers or assistive technologies. This paper presents a study that was performed in our laboratory with TBI victims to assess the reliability of a smart stove designed for cognitively-impaired individuals in order to determine if it can replace the assistance provided by a caregiver.