Blast from the Past - Microcomputer-Aided Eating for the Severely Handicapped
From: IEEE Computer Journal - 01/1979 - pages 54-61
By: R.L. Ramey, J.H. Aylor, and R.D. Williams (University of Virginia)

We have developed a versatile system which permits severely handicapped
individuals to eat independently. We used a 'learning phase' to establish
point-to-point coordinates of the motion, regardless of the coordinate system
in which the manipulator resides.  

A prototype system shows how small, intelligent devices may offer the
handicapped a new degree of independence.  

Read the pdf article at:
http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/magazines/computer#1
Click on 1979, then January, scroll down to the link to the article