2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Developing a Sled-type Electric Walker for elderly people to prevent frailty
| Project/Area Number |
20K12737
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 90150:Medical assistive technology-related
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| Research Institution | Akita National College of Technology |
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Principal Investigator |
Miyawaki Kazuto 秋田工業高等専門学校, その他部局等, 教授 (00390906)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
島田 洋一 秋田大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (90162685)
齊藤 亜由子 工学院大学, 先進工学部, 助教 (90710715)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | バイオメカニクス / リハビリテーション / 機械力学・制御 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
At present, the elderly population of Japan is 36,200,000, which accounts for more than a super-aging society, which would be 28.8% of the total population. With aging, functions such as standing, walking, and sitting deteriorate because of deterioration of locomotory organs such as bones, joints, and muscles. The number of elderly people considered as frail is increasing. Moderate walking is one measure to prevent frailty. In snowy regions such as Hokkaido and Tohoku district, however, it is difficult to support walking with wheel type walkers, which are used widely at present because of snowfall in winter. To resolve this difficulty, we have developed a sled-type electric walker that can assist walking even in snow-covered conditions. The sled is attached to the part of the device contacting the snow surface. A crawler robot is mounted on the walker to provide assistance that is suitable for each person's walking by electronic control, so that falling on the snow can be prevented.
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| Free Research Field |
福祉工学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
高齢者の健康寿命を延ばすためにはフレイルの予防が有効である。このフレイルは運動することで予防可能となる。しかし、北国の冬は長く雪に閉ざされているため、屋外で運動することをためらう高齢者が多く、運動不足が雪国特有の課題である。本研究は歩行補助装置に関して、北国の雪深い冬でも利用できるように通常は車輪部である移動補助部をソリ型とした。駆動部はクローラを用い、センサーフィージョンにより歩行者の転倒を予知する機能を付加したソリ型の電動歩行器を開発した。この機器の開発場所は雪が降り積もる秋田県が最適であった。
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