Support Robot Research Articles

Electrocardiogram and respiration recordings show a reduction in the physical burden on professional caregivers when performing care tasks with a transfer support robot

ABSTRACT In this study, we assessed the physical burden on professional caregivers when using a transfer support robot, “Hug,” to transfer and move a care recipient. We compared heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and the time-series synchronization between HRV and respiration in caregivers using the robot or a normal wheelchair as control. Under both conditions, a commercial wearable device was used to simultaneously obtain electrocardiogram and respiration signals while performing care tasks, which comprised transfer from a bed to a wheelchair or to the robot, movement to a remote location, and transfer to a chair. We found that HR was significantly higher and HRV and wavelet coherence were significantly lower in the control than with Hug during at least the first 30 seconds of rest after the task (p < 0.05). This suggests that Hug could reduce the increase in HR and thereby maintain a more constant rhythm between HRV and respiration during care tasks. A post-task questionnaire also revealed that caregivers felt the physical burden of the tasks was reduced using Hug. Our results suggest that the introduction of transfer support robots can reduce the physical burden for caregivers of daily transfer assistance tasks.

Multimodal reaching-position prediction for ADL support using neural networks

This study aimed to develop daily living support robots for patients with hemiplegia and the elderly. To support the daily living activities using robots in ordinary households without imposing physical and mental burdens on users, the system must detect the actions of the user and move appropriately according to their motions. We propose a reaching-position prediction scheme that targets the motion of lifting the upper arm, which is burdensome for patients with hemiplegia and the elderly in daily living activities. For this motion, it is difficult to obtain effective features to create a prediction model in environments where large-scale sensor system installation is not feasible and the motion time is short. We performed motion-collection experiments, revealed the features of the target motion and built a prediction model using the multimodal motion features and deep learning. The proposed model achieved an accuracy of 93% macro average and F1-score of 0.69 for a 9-class classification prediction at 35% of the motion completion.

First case of major lung resection using the hinotori™ surgical robot system.

We performed the first case of major lung resection using the hinotori™ surgical robot system, which is a new surgical support robot system developed in Japan. A left lower lobectomy and subcarinal lymph node dissection were performed. The operation time was 3h and 5min, the cockpit time (console time) was 2h and 5min, and the blood loss was 40g. Although the hinotori™ surgical robot system requires further improvements to be used for lung cancer surgery, even in its current state, there is no difference in operability compared to the da Vinci robot, and it is possible to perform the same surgery. Further evaluation with additional cases is required in future.

Key technology of temporary support robot for rapid excavation of coal mine roadway

AbstractThe coal industry has long been troubled by the imbalance between mining and tunneling, and between excavating and support. The main cause of this problem is the inability to perform excavating and permanent support operations in parallel. Additionally, the limited space near the tunneling face hampers the efficiency of permanent support. Temporary support is an effective method to ensure the stability of the surrounding rock and expand the space for parallel operations between excavating and permanent support activities. This work provides a brief overview of the current research status on temporary support, emphasizing that the key to achieving safe, efficient, and rapid excavation lies in the development of temporary support robots. To meet the development needs of temporary support robots, three key technologies are proposed: the construction of a coupling model between the robot and the surrounding rock, spatial layout optimization of the rapid advancement system, and adaptive control of the robot. This work details the methods and approaches for constructing the coupling model, the elements of system spatial layout optimization, and the methods and strategies for the robot's adaptive control. Our team successfully tested the shield robot system at Xiaobaodang Mining Company, verifying the feasibility of these key technologies.

Investigation of hand tremor suppression by a customized passive surgical support robot during internal limiting membrane peeling.

To construct a quantitative evaluation system for hand tremor during internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and investigate changes in hand tremor attributable to the use of the customized passive surgical support robot. This analytical and experimental study developed a hand tremor evaluation system that synchronizes three elements: surgical microscope images, an artificial eye module with a force sensor to simulate ILM peeling, and microforceps with an inertial measurement unit. Two surgeons used this system to measure hand tremor during ILM peeling with and without the robot. The horizontal, vertical, and combined vertical and horizontal components of hand tremor were 8.1 ± 6.1, 1.7 ± 1.8, and 8.5 ± 6.2 mG, respectively, in the no robot group. These components decreased to 7.2 ± 6.0, 1.5 ± 1.7, and 7.5 ± 6.1 mG, respectively, in the robot group. In particular, hand tremor was significantly suppressed by 11.9% for the horizontal component using the robot (p = 0.0006). The newly constructed system helps to quantitatively evaluate hand tremor during ILM peeling. The customized passive surgical support robot enables to decrease hand tremor during ILM peeling.

Concept and Prototype Development of Adaptive Touch Walking Support Robot for Maximizing Human Physical Potential

Concept and Prototype Development of Adaptive Touch Walking Support Robot for Maximizing Human Physical Potential

Whole-body inverse kinematics robust to base position control error in mobile manipulators

Mobile manipulators require whole-body inverse kinematics (IK), encompassing both the mobile base and arm, to execute manipulation tasks. One of the challenges associated with whole-body IK is the redundancy of degrees of freedom when combining those of the mobile base and arm, which generates an infinite number of solutions. Therefore, in this study, we focus on the trend in mobile manipulators where the positional precision of the mobile base is lower than that of the manipulator. We propose a definition for the robustness value to base position control error and discuss a methodology to quickly obtain robust whole-body IK solutions. In an assessment utilizing a dataset that simulates domestic environments and a human support robot, which is a research platform for mobile manipulators designed to operate with humans, we validated that the quick acquisition of IK solutions robust to base position control error is achievable. In addition, we integrated the proposed IK approach into motion planning and evaluated its performance. Our results revealed that motion planning integrated with the proposed IK approach was superior to conventional methods in terms of both computation time and robustness for base position control error.

Research on the design and control of an anthropomorphic waist structure for life support robots

AbstractIn the humanoid robots, waist mechanism is an important structure to realize the whole body coordinated movement. This paper proposes a series–parallel mechanism of waist structure, and its kinematics and dynamics characteristics are studied. Based on the dynamic model, a backstepping sliding mode controller is designed to simulate control performance. Under the continuous disturbance force, the stability and accuracy of the mechanism are verified. Compared with the experiment, the results prove that the waist mechanism has the biomimetic spine movements and desired control performance, which can be applied to life support robots in the future.

Dynamics modeling and trajectory tracking control of a life support robot using sliding-mode control with extended state observer

This paper investigates the trajectory tracking control problem of a life support robot chassis under the slipping disturbances. First, a novel dynamics model for the robot chassis is proposed based on Lagrange equation. The constructed model incorporates the effects of rotational kinetic energy from the driving wheels, providing a more comprehensive representation of the chassis dynamics. Then, on the basis of the innovative framework, the dual-loop trajectory tracking control is derived for the chassis, via the kinematics-based backstepping controller and the dynamics-based sliding-mode controller. Moreover, an extended state observer is designed to reduce the influence caused by external disturbances. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed tracking control approach are verified through simulation experiments.

Research on the Intelligent System Architecture and Control Strategy of Mining Robot Crowds

Despite the pressure of carbon emissions and clean energy, coal remains the economic backbone of many developing countries due to its abundant resources and widespread distribution. The stable supply of coal is also vital for the global economy and remains irreplaceable in the future global energy structure. China has been a major contributor to annual coal output, accounting for nearly 50% worldwide since 2014. However, despite implementing intelligent coal mining technology, China’s coal mining industry still employs over 1.5 million underground miners, posing significant safety risks associated with underground mining operations. Therefore, the introduction of coal mining robots in underground mines is an urgently needed scientific and technological solution for upgrading China’s and even the world’s coal energy industry. The working face needs a shearer, hydraulic support, a scraper conveyor, and other equipment for coordination. The deep integration of intelligent technology with factors such as “humans, machines, the environment, and management” in the workplace is the core content of intelligent coal mines. This paper puts forward an advanced framework for robot technology systems in coal mining, including single robots, robotized equipment, robot crowds, and unmanned systems. The framework clarifies the common key technologies of coal mining robot research and development and the cross-integration with new technologies such as 5G, the industrial internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and digital twins to improve the autonomous and intelligent application of coal mining robots. By establishing a scientific and complete standard system for coal mining robots, we aim to achieve the customized research and development and standardized production of various types of robot. A specific analysis is conducted on the research progress of common key technologies such as the explosion-proof design, mechanical system innovation, power drive, intelligent sensing, positioning and navigation, and underground communication of coal mining robots. The current research and application status of various types of coal mining robots in China are summarized. A new direction for future coal mining robot research and development is proposed. Robotic mining systems should be promoted to enhance the overall intelligence level and efficiency of mining equipment. To develop human–machine environment-integrated robots to improve the autonomy and collaboration level of coal mining robots, the digital twinning of the entire mine robot system should be accelerated; the normalized operation level of coal mine robots should be improved; research on coal mining robots, shield support robots, and transportation robots should be performed; intelligence should be achieved in fully mechanized mining faces; and equipment shield support for fully mechanized mining faces should be provided. The practical process of implementing coal mining robotization is summarized in this paper, and the technical and engineering feasibility of the coal mining machine population is verified.

Trajectory Tracking Control of Human Support Robots via Adaptive Sliding-Mode Approach.

In this article, the tracking problem of the adaptive sliding-mode control (SMC) design for human support robots based on a disturbance observer is investigated. First, a finite-time controller using nonsingular fast terminal SMC is proposed. Then, a robust disturbance observer is developed to estimate system uncertainties and disturbances. Simultaneously, to deal with the unknown bounded disturbance observer error, an adaptive control technology is developed. Furthermore, the proposed controller is synthesized to ensure that the tracking errors can be stabilized in finite time. Finally, simulations are performed to demonstrate that human support robots employing the proposed controller can converge to the desired trajectory.

Current Status of Robotic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery.

Laparoscopic surgery is performed worldwide and has clear economic and social benefits in terms of patient recovery time. It is used for most gastrointestinal surgical procedures, but laparoscopic surgery for more complex procedures in the esophageal, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic regions remains challenging. Minimally invasive surgery that results in accurate tumor dissection is vital in surgical oncology, and development of surgical systems and instruments plays a key role in assisting surgeons to achieve this. A notable advance in the latter half of the 1990s was the da Vinci Surgical System, which involves master-slave surgical support robots. Featuring high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) imaging with magnification capabilities and forceps with multi-joint function, anti-shake function, and motion scaling, the system compensates for the drawbacks of conventional laparoscopic surgery. It is expected to be particularly useful in the field of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery, which requires delicate reconstruction involving complex liver anatomy with diverse vascular and biliary systems and anastomosis of the biliary tract, pancreas, and intestines. The learning curve is said to be short, and it is hoped that robotic surgery will be standardized in the near future. There is also a need for a standardized robotic surgery training system for young surgeons that can later be adapted to a wider range of surgeries. This systematic review describes trends and future prospects for robotic surgery in the hepatobiliary-pancreatic region.

Development and evaluation of a learning support robot for vector learning

Development and evaluation of a learning support robot for vector learning

Proposal of Learning Support Model for Teacher-Type Robot Supporting Learning According to Learner’s Perplexed Facial Expressions

The introduction of ICT into education in educational settings has become increasingly common. Among these, the research and development of educational support robots have attracted attention. Conventional robots provide academic support through button operation by the learner. However, it has been reported that excessive requests for academic support can be problematic in environments in which learners can freely request academic support. To solve this problem, we developed a perplexion estimation method that estimates the state of perplexion from the learner’s facial expression. When educational support is provided using the proposed method, the robot can autonomously provide academic support. Simulation experiments demonstrated that the perplexion estimation method has the potential to accurately estimate the learner’s state. However, there is still no dedicated model for educational support robots that utilizes the perplexion estimation method. Therefore, this paper proposes an apprenticeship promotion model that integrates a learning support method based on cognitive apprenticeship theory and our perplexion estimation method. We then verified the learning effects of the robot equipped with the proposed model on the learner through participant experiments. The experimental results suggest that the robot equipped with the proposed model not only provides the same learning effect to university students as a conventional robot, but also can autonomously provide academic support at the optimal timing.

Development of a Living Laboratory to Verify Assistive Technology in Simulated Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

Assistive robots and technologies can play a key role in supporting the independence and social participation of older people, helping them living healthy lives and reducing the burden on caregivers. To support the effective development of assistive robots and technologies, it is important to develop a “living laboratory” to verify and adapt technology in real-life living spaces. The purpose of this study is to validate assistive robots using a living laboratory that simulates typical indoor and outdoor real-life situations. The rationale is to enable evaluation of daily living activities of older people in a simulated living space. To minimize the risk of trauma after falls, a ceiling suspension system was installed in the living laboratory. Six different commercially available mobility and transfer support robots were introduced and tested. We demonstrated that effective scenarios could be implemented using these assistive robots within the living laboratory. We implemented a 3D markerless motion capturing system in the outdoor space and showed that outdoor activities, including walking up and down a ramp, could be verified with sufficient accuracy in three cases: (i) normal use without a robot, (ii) use of the ceiling suspension system, and (iii) use of a mobility support robot on three healthy subjects. These results suggest that the proposed living laboratory can support testing and verification of assistive robots in simulated living environments.

Introduction of the Hug Transfer Support Robot, a Welfare Device, Reduced the Burden of Caregivers: A Case Study

Introduction of the Hug Transfer Support Robot, a Welfare Device, Reduced the Burden of Caregivers: A Case Study

Relationship building between caregivers and children, using remote childcare support robots.

Relationship building between caregivers and children, using remote childcare support robots.

Hierarchical path planning from speech instructions with spatial concept-based topometric semantic mapping.

Assisting individuals in their daily activities through autonomous mobile robots is a significant concern, especially for users without specialized knowledge. Specifically, the capability of a robot to navigate to destinations based on human speech instructions is crucial. Although robots can take different paths toward the same objective, the shortest path is not always the most suitable. A preferred approach would be to accommodate waypoint specifications flexibly for planning an improved alternative path even with detours. Furthermore, robots require real-time inference capabilities. In this sense, spatial representations include semantic, topological, and metric-level representations, each capturing different aspects of the environment. This study aimed to realize a hierarchical spatial representation using a topometric semantic map and path planning with speech instructions by including waypoints. Thus, we present a hierarchical path planning method called spatial concept-based topometric semantic mapping for hierarchical path planning (SpCoTMHP), which integrates place connectivity. This approach provides a novel integrated probabilistic generative model and fast approximate inferences with interactions among the hierarchy levels. A formulation based on "control as probabilistic inference" theoretically supports the proposed path planning algorithm. We conducted experiments in a home environment using the Toyota human support robot on the SIGVerse simulator and in a lab-office environment with the real robot Albert. Here, the user issues speech commands that specify the waypoint and goal, such as "Go to the bedroom via the corridor." Navigation experiments were performed using speech instructions with a waypoint to demonstrate the performance improvement of the SpCoTMHP over the baseline hierarchical path planning method with heuristic path costs (HPP-I) in terms of the weighted success rate at which the robot reaches the closest target (0.590) and passes the correct waypoints. The computation time was significantly improved by 7.14 s with the SpCoTMHP than the baseline HPP-I in advanced tasks. Thus, hierarchical spatial representations provide mutually understandable instruction forms for both humans and robots, thus enabling language-based navigation.

Development and Evaluation of Arm Lifting Assist Devices

Musculoskeletal disorders are common occupational diseases that have become a major social problem. Mechanization has been promoted as a solution to this problem. However, several tasks still require manual labor, such as fruit harvesting in orchards, making the introduction of machinery difficult in many cases. Recently, from the viewpoint of worker protection and ergonomics, various wearable robots for work support have attracted attention. In Europe and the US, there has been much development of arm-lifting assistive devices that support upward work while holding tools in the hands for industrial applications. However, most of the devices currently on the market are expensive compared to their assistive capabilities. Against this background, we developed three types of arm-lifting assistive devices with different concepts (an exoskeleton arm-lifting assistive device utilizing a gas spring, an exoskeleton arm-lifting assistive device utilizing McKibben-type artificial muscles, and an arm-lifting assistive suit utilizing rubber) to develop inexpensive, high-power devices. Furthermore, comparative verification of the assist effectiveness of each device was conducted.

Development of Color-Based Object Follower Robot Using Pixy 2 Camera and Arduino to Support Robotics Practice Learning

The purpose of this study is to find out how robot vision works and the level of media feasibility in the robotic practice course and student responses in the Mechatronics Vocational Education study program. This research is a type of RD research with a 4D development model (Define, Design, Development, and Desiminate). The result of how the vision robot works is where the robot follows objects based on color using the Pixy 2 camera that has been programmed in the PixyMoon application where the way this robot works is to follow the more dominant object. The results of the feasibility level of vision robots as learning media are determined by the results of the validation of media experts and material experts. Based on the results of the validation of media experts, the overall robot vision was declared very feasible with a percentage of 86.7%. Then from the results of material expert validation, it can be seen that overall, the robot vision companion guidebook is included in the very feasible category with a percentage of 87.5%. From the results of the assessment by students, it can be seen that from all aspects of the overall assessment it can be concluded that robot vision is in the very feasible category with a percentage of 90.8%.