3-DOF Meal Support Robot using Passive Elements for safety

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13726
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 20020:Robotics and intelligent system-related
• Research Institution: Kanazawa University
• Principal Investigator: Kozuka Hiroaki 金沢大学, フロンティア工学系, 助教 (80707589)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 動作補助 / 受動関節 / 位置制御

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we developed a motion-assist arm that can assist a 3-DOF spatial motion of human forearm cooperating with human own will by controlling forearm's position according to an forearm’s inputting displacement. The arm has passive joints in its mechanism. By a rotation of the passive joints when the human inputs the displacement of the forearm, its mechanism moves and measures the displacement of the forearm. The arm can correct the forearm position to a path or a plate in 3D space cooperating with the human motion by controlling the forearm position using actuated joints according to the measuring displacement. Applying this method, a wearable 2-DOF parallel wire driven mechanism to assist a forearm motion was developed. Using the device, we conformed that an assistance of forearm motion with inhabiting a tremulousness. From this result, a basic method assisting a meal motion was established.

Free Research Field

ロボティクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

開発した動作補助装置では，人が自由に前腕の変位を与えて操作し，軌跡や面上へ人の前腕の位置を補助する．そのため，事故の後遺症などで前腕の動作に麻痺が残ってしまった場合やパーキンソン病によって手の震えが生じる場合，療法士や介護士が患者の前腕を把持して行われる食事支援において，介護士等に代わって動作補助を行うことが可能になり，人手不足を解消しながら，患者の自宅での食事や日常生活動作の補助を可能にする．