I.A. Sutherland’s scientific contributions

Many simple daily living activities are impossible for disabled people who have minimal hand or arm movement, unless they have the help of another person. Such excessive dependence can be restricting and demoralising for both the person being cared for and the carer. The Brunel Institute for Bioengineering has investigated the expressed needs of many severely disabled people and their carers. One of their requirements was for a drinking device that would deliver liquid in a safe and controlled manner directly into the user's mouth. The device should handle both drinks and liquidised foods, and needed to be directly under the control of the disabled person. The Autosip has been designed to meet these requirements, and during its whole process of design and development there was frequent consultation with potential users. The Autosip can be controlled by a wide variety of commercially available single switch activators, and so almost anyone can use it. It can be selected to pump any of a range of pre-set quantities, or a continuous flow, into the user's mouth. The liquid is only in contact with an easily sterilised silicone rubber tube; thus hygienic conditions can be maintained all the way from the original container right into the user's mouth.