How a hand surgeon was inspired to invent the Chopsticks of the Future.

Michael Joyner, MD is a hand and microsurgeon with a successful practice in Boca Raton, FL. Friends and patients affectionally call him “Dr. J” because he’s a friendly, optimistic person whose smile and warmth are contagious. Still, he’s always been hyper-aware of the need to prevent germs while performing delicate surgeries. He never dreamed that his experience in the operating room would inspire him to invent eating utensils that promote greater hygiene.

Dr. J’s journey as a healer began in our Nation’s Capital where he earned a medical degree from Georgetown University on a US Army Health Scholarship. Afterward, he served as a Captain interning at Walter Reed Medical Center—and then as CMO and Primary Brigade Surgeon at the Presidio of Monterey Army Health Clinic. After advanced training in trauma surgery in Atlanta, Dr. J was selected to be a microsurgical scholar in Taipei, Taiwan. It was a fascinating journey that would help shape his life.

One day he was eating Asian food for lunch. He found the chopsticks to be cumbersome and not very ergonomic. It actually strained his hand. He thought: there must be a better way. Then his mind drifted to how all of us use our hands constantly for vital daily tasks, some we often take for granted. This realization motivated him to devote his life to hand surgery and help those who suffer from pain from a hand injury, arthritis, or carpal tunnel syndrome.

A few years passed, and he was living in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He stopped at a cafe for lunch and quickly saw an open booth—but it wasn’t clean. The host said, “have a seat and we’ll get it cleaned shortly.” As he sat there, he used his former waiter skills to organize the table—since he worked as a server while he was in school. When she dropped off a “rollup” (flatware in a napkin) his germaphobe instincts kicked in and he began wiping down the table with the napkin. But, he held the flatware in his hand until the server could come to clean the table. He waited. And waited. And waited. Clutching that flatware the whole time.

He thought: there must be a way to put flatware on the table without having it touch the germy table. His mind toyed with the shape of silverware. He mentally bent the spoon in his mind. Voila! The idea hit him to redesign flatware so the eating ends would be raised off the tabletop. And, it could be more ergonomic, like delicate surgical instruments, to take the pressure off people’s hands. After he left the cafe, he began drawing his vision on paper. Then, he visited a patent attorney the following Monday. And Touchless Flatware™ was born.

Soon after this, he had a flashback to Taiwan and how diners set their chopsticks down on the table…and how he struggled to use them. Now he could solve two problems at once: design custom chopsticks to rest above the table surface to prevent the spread of germs—while also exerting less pressure on the hands.

Dr. J is an avid lover of the outdoors and cares deeply about protecting the environment. So, for Touchless Chopsticks, he made a conscious decision to produce them with material that is harmless to the environment and compostable. He also wanted them to be sturdy and reusable, so people wouldn’t just throw them out. This choice is helping to save our landfills and oceans from gathering more garbage.

After extensive research, he selected an organic, vegetal material for his Touchless Chopsticks. It wasn’t long before production went into full swing. Surprisingly, the vegetal material is not expensive in larger quantities, so he is able to pass the savings onto his customers and make Touchless Chopsticks affordable.

If you wish to prevent germs and ease the hand strain caused by plain chopsticks, give Touchless Chopsticks a try. To order a few sets for your home or office, visit our Online Store today. This invention sparked Dr. J to design a complete line of Touchless Flatware for the restaurant and catering industry including stainless steel flatware, steak knives and children’s flatware.

To learn more, contact Dr. Michael Joyner at drmichaelj@mjmdglobal.com. And, be sure to follow him on facebook.com/touchlessflatware or Instagram.com/touchlessflatware.

Back