Development of a design method for an external muscle-type clothing robot based on a tensegrity model of the human body's musculoskeletal structure

• Project/Area Number: 19H02112
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 20020:Robotics and intelligent system-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Kobayashi Yo 大阪大学, 大学院基礎工学研究科, 准教授 (50424817)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大谷 智仁 大阪大学, 大学院基礎工学研究科, 准教授 (40778990) ; 田中 正夫 大阪大学, 基礎工学研究科, 教授 (40163571)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2023)
• Budget Amount: ¥17,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,960,000); Fiscal Year 2022: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2021: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000)
• Keywords: 服型ロボット / テンセグリティ / 筋骨格構造 / 外筋型服ロボット

Outline of Research at the Start

本課題は，柔軟，軽量な服型ロボットの開発を目指した研究である．人間の筋骨格の構造を模倣することで，人間との親和性が高い柔軟な服型ロボットを開発するための方法論を確立することを目的とする．特に，人体の筋骨格構造のモデルとして「テンセグリティ」に着目し，テンセグリティモデルを規範とした設計手法を構築する．

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To develop hardware for wearable robots with high affinity with humans, we developed a tensegrity model of the musculoskeletal structure of the human body. In addition, by making the wearable robot a flexible clothing type, we developed a wearable robot with high affinity with the human body, which enables easy wearing and soft feeling of wearing that could not be realized with hard metal parts.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年少子高齢化といった社会的背景から、高齢者・障碍者の動作・生活を支援することを目的として、装着型ロボットの開発が進められている。本研究の成果は、装着型ロボットを柔軟な服型とすることで、硬い金属部材では実現できなかった装着の容易さ、装着感の柔らかさが実現可能となり、人体との親和性の高い装着型ロボットの実現が期待される．

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Computational Modelling of Ankle-Foot Orthosis to Evaluate Spatially Asymmetric Structural Stiffness: Importance of Geometric Nonlinearity (2022)
  • Author(s): Wataru Sumihira, Tomohiro Otani, Yo Kobayashi, Masao Tanaka
  • Journal Title: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine Volume: 236 Pages: 1357-1364
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Topology optimization of a thin orthosis structure with geometric nonlinearity using a three-dimensional corotational triangle element formulation (2022)
  • Author(s): Tomohiro Otani, Wataru Sumihira, Yo Kobayashi, Masao Tanaka,
  • Journal Title: Structural and multidisciplinary optimization Volume: 65 Pages: 1-12
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Development of a Soft Exosuit for Suppressing Essential Tremor (2021)
  • Author(s): Yo Kobayashi, Yuya Matsumoto, Motoji Kawasaki, Akira Kato, Takeshi Ando, Masanori Nagaoka, Masakatsu G. Fujie
  • Journal Title: IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics Volume: 3(3) Pages: 783-790
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] 2-D forward dynamics simulation of gait adaptation to muscle weakness in elderly gait (2021)
  • Author(s): Arakawa Tatsuya、Otani Tomohiro、Kobayashi Yo、Tanaka Masao
  • Journal Title: Gait & Posture Volume: 85 Pages: 71-77
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.01.011
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Computational study of kinematics of the anterior cruciate ligament double-bundle structure during passive knee flexion?extension (2020)
  • Author(s): Otani Tomohiro、Kobayashi Yo、Tanaka Masao
  • Journal Title: Medical Engineering & Physics Volume: 83 Pages: 56-63
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2020.07.015
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 肘関節角の予測における複数の時系列モデルの比較評価 (2022)
  • Author(s): 坂之上大輝，小林洋，田中正夫
  • Organizer: 日本機械学会関西支部第97期定時総会
• [Presentation] 患者個別に適切な底背屈剛性を有する短下肢装具形状のトポロジー最適設計 (2021)
  • Author(s): 住平航，大谷智仁，小林洋，田中正夫
  • Organizer: 第32回バイオフロンティア講演会
• [Presentation] シューホーン型短下肢装具のトリムラインと底背屈剛性に関する有限要素解析 (2021)
  • Author(s): 住平航，大谷智仁，小林洋，田中正夫
  • Organizer: 日本機械学会第33回バイオエンジニアリング講演会
• [Presentation] Shape Memory Alloy Actuated Ankle-Foot Orthosis for Reduction of Locomotion Force (2021)
  • Author(s): Ahmad Alminnawi, Yo Kobayashi, Tomohiro Otani, Masao Tanaka
  • Organizer: Proceedings of 2021 World Automation Congress
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 脊椎テンセグリティモデルによる靭帯張力バランスに関する検討 (2020)
  • Author(s): 磯部高弥，小林洋，大谷智仁，田中正夫
  • Organizer: 日本機械学会 関西学生会2019年度学生員卒業研究発表講演会
• [Presentation] Musculoskeletal Tensegrity Model of Glenohumeral Joint for Distribution Analysis of Muscle Tension (2019)
  • Author(s): Y. Doi, Y. Kobayashi, T.Otani, M. Tanaka
  • Organizer: 10th Asian-Pacific Conference on Biomechanics
  • Int'l Joint Research