1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Basic study safcty and unccrtainty of support cquipments for the elderly
| Project/Area Number |
08458295
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Research Field |
Biomedical engineering/Biological material science
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Tokyo Denki University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
SAITO Masao Tokyo Denki Univ., Fac.Engineering ; Prof., 工学部, 教授 (60010708)
|
|---|
| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KAWASUMI Masashi Tokyo Denki Univ., Fac.Engineering Lecturer, 工学部, 講師 (40177689)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
1996 – 1997
|
| Keywords | welfare equipment / support equipment / safety / uncertainty / accident data |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
It is the urgent issue in Japan that various kind of life-support equipments should be developed, which must be safe and comfortable in use. Physical safety is well considered by the manufacturer, but an unexpected use of the equipment at home by a non-specialist may induce an accident. Another aspect is that the equipment often induces a fear or an uncomforrtable feeling to the user, which may lead to an accident or refusal of use.
Reports summarizing claims from the user are reviewed to extract underlying problems in the design for safety, reliability and psychological comfort. The general view from psychology about fear and uncertainty is applied to reported situations. Some simple experiments are conducted in the test houses built for this purpose. Observations and interviews are tried to the elderly in care houses. Although the observations are still fragmental, the study tries to draw a systematic guide for the equipment design.
|
