The Obi Dining Robot has been named to the 2026 Forbes Accessibility 200 list and this year marks the second consecutive year it has received the honour, having featured on the inaugural 2025 list as well.
The Forbes Accessibility 200 recognises the top 200 global innovators and impact-makers in accessibility-related fields. Now in its second year, the list was expanded from 100 to 200 honourees and compiled with the assistance of a 12-member expert advisory board from around the world. It spans organisations across 23 countries on six continents, covering fields including consumer products, robotics, communication, mobility, education, software, sports and recreation, travel, the workplace, and entertainment. Obi's inclusion for the second year running is a meaningful recognition of the real-world difference it makes for the people who use it every day.
What is the Obi Dining Robot?
Obi is a robotic dining device designed for people who have limited hand and arm function and who cannot feed themselves independently. With switches placed to suit each person's movement abilities, users can choose what to eat and when, and eat at their own pace without relying on someone else to feed them. This supports a more social, inclusive, and self-directed dining experience.
The ability to choose what you eat, when you eat it, and at the speed that suits you without depending on someone else to feed you is profound. Mealtimes become genuinely enjoyable again as people regain their independence to participate in mealtimes with dignity.
Who is Obi for?
Obi supports people to eat more independently when they cannot reliably self-feed due to reduced upper limb control. If a person can operate a switch with a momentary touch from any part of their body, and chew and swallow without assistance, they can use Obi.
This includes people who:
- Have reduced or absent functional upper limb control
- Experience fatigue, weakness, or reduced motor control impacting self-feeding
- Currently require physical assistance for feeding during most or all meals
- Would benefit from increased autonomy and participation during mealtime
Common contexts:
Obi may be suitable for people with neurological, neuromuscular, or physical conditions affecting upper limb function where swallowing safety is maintained, including:
- Motor Neurone Disease (MND)
- Acquired Brain Injury (AIB)
- Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
- Cerebral palsy (CP)
- Muscular dystrophy (MD)
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Stroke
- Parkinson's Disease
- Other neurological or physical conditions affecting the upper extremities
Obi and Motor Neurone Disease (MND)
Motor Neurone Disease is a progressive condition that affects the nerves controlling voluntary movement. Over time, this leads to increasing muscle weakness, which can affect the arms, hands, speech, swallowing and breathing. For many people living with MND, the loss of the ability to self-feed can be one of the most confronting changes they face. It strikes at independence, social participation, and something as fundamental as enjoying a meal.
Many people with MND experience difficulties with eating and drinking at some point during the course of their condition. As arm and hand strength decline, the ability to use cutlery and lift food to the mouth becomes increasingly difficult. When the muscles around the mouth and throat are also affected, swallowing itself can become effortful and slow. Mealtimes can become longer, more exhausting, and more isolating.
MND affects everyone differently. While some people develop swallowing difficulties as their condition progresses, others retain the ability to eat and drink orally for much longer. For those who can still chew and swallow, but struggle with the physical task of self-feeding, Obi can be a genuinely life-changing piece of technology. It removes the physical effort of lifting and scooping food to the mouth, placing the person back in control of their own meals.
Interested in trialling Obi?
If you or someone you support may benefit from the Obi Dining Robot, we'd love to help you experience it. Our Obi Trial Experience is designed to give individuals and clinicians the time and support needed to properly evaluate the device across multiple meals. We can deliver Obi anywhere in Queensland for an extended home trial.
Clinicians can also join our upcoming Obi Clinical Education Webinar, a one-hour online session designed specifically for OTs, covering everything you need to know about assessing for, prescribing, and funding the Obi Dining Robot. See all upcoming clinical education sessions here.