Wearable Power Assist Research Articles

2H2-3 Preliminary Study for Physical Load Evaluation of Wearable Power Assist Suit

2H2-3 Preliminary Study for Physical Load Evaluation of Wearable Power Assist Suit

空気圧駆動ディスクブレーキ機構を用いた肩部姿勢保持用パワーアシストロボットの開発

空気圧駆動ディスクブレーキ機構を用いた肩部姿勢保持用パワーアシストロボットの開発

Improvement of Wearable Power Assist Wear for Low Back Support using Pneumatic Actuator

This study focuses on developing a safe, lightweight, power assist device that can be worn by people who like caregivers during lifting or static holding tasks to prevent low back pain (LBP). Therefore in consideration of their flexibility, light weight, and large force to weight ratio we have developed a Wearable Power Assist Wear for caregivers, two types of pneumatic actuators are employed in assisting low back movement for their safety and comfort. The device can be worn directly on the body like normal clothing. Because there is no rigid exoskeleton frame structure, it is lightweight and user friendly. In this paper, we proposed the new type of the wearable power assist wear and improved the controller of control system.

空気圧アクチュエータを用いた高湿度環境下での腰支援装置の開発

空気圧アクチュエータを用いた高湿度環境下での腰支援装置の開発

着用型筋力補助装置「マッスルスーツ<sup>®</sup>」

着用型筋力補助装置「マッスルスーツ<sup>®</sup>」

直立4足歩行型パワーアシストロボットTTI-Knuckle1の開発

直立4足歩行型パワーアシストロボットTTI-Knuckle1の開発

Design of Wearable Power Assist Wear for Low Back Support Using Pneumatic Actuators

This research focuses on developing a safe, lightweight, power assist device that can be worn by people during lifting or static holding tasks to prevent them from experiencing Low Back Pain (LBP). In consideration of their flexibility, light weight, and large force to weight ratio, two types of pneumatic actuators are employed in assisting low back movement for their safety and comfort. Actuator A is an elongation-type pneumatic rubber artificial muscle that is installed in the outer layer of the garment. Its two ends are fixed on the shoulders and thighs. It can output contractile force, assisting the erector spinae muscles in the same direction. Compared to McKibben-type pneumatic rubber artificial muscle, the elongation type has a larger contraction rate. Actuator B is a layer-type of pneumatic actuator; it is composed of two balloons, and it is installed in the inner layer of the garment. By taking into account the biomechanic structure of the human spine, this device can provide support in two ways. Actuator A acts as an external muscle power generators to reduce the force requirement for the erector spinae muscles. As actuator B acts as a moment arm of the contractile force generated by actuator A, it will increase the effective amount of torque. The device can be worn directly on the body like normal clothing. Because there is no rigid exoskeleton frame structure, it is lightweight and user friendly. The system’s Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), composed of accelerometer sensors and gyro sensors to measure the human motion signals, can monitor the angles of the human body in real-time mode. By measuring the EMG signal of the human erector spinae muscles, the assistance effectiveness of the proposed device has been proven through experiments.

装着型パワーアシストロボットWAS-LiBERo^[○!R](<メカライフ特集>楽のものづくり)

装着型パワーアシストロボットWAS-LiBERo^[○!R](<メカライフ特集>楽のものづくり)

Developmemt of Wearable Power Assist Device with Pneumatic Rubber Artificial Muscles

Developmemt of Wearable Power Assist Device with Pneumatic Rubber Artificial Muscles

Wearable Power Assist Device for Standing Up Motion Using Pneumatic Rubber Artificial Muscles

As society ages and birth rates fall, the dropping number of caregivers for an increasingly elderly population is expected to become a serious problem, raising the need for devices to assist those having difficulty in leading independent lives. These devices must be used near or directly on their users, making safety and user-friendliness equally important. This raises the need for safe, user-friendly actuators that are compact, lightweight, and appropriately soft. The pneumatic rubber artificial muscle meets this requirement. We developed a wearable power assist device that aids people in standing and uses the McKibben pneumatic rubber artificial muscle. We discuss its structure, basic features, and control. We also present an example of its application to rehabilitation.

2P2-A11 トルク補償型上肢装具のための装着インターフェイス設計

2P2-A11 トルク補償型上肢装具のための装着インターフェイス設計

Stand-Alone Wearable Power Assist Suit –Development and Availability–

The stand-alone wearable power assist suit we developed gives caregivers the extra strength they need to lift patients while avoiding back injuries. To put this suit to practical use, we improved sensing system and the mechanisms. To stabilize muscle tenseness sensing more, we developed an all-in-one sensor that built the sensor into a mesh belt and improved sensing characteristics. We expanded the movable range and function of the suit. We increased actuator output torque by increasing the number of cuffs inserted into actuators. Based on equations derived from static body mechanics using joint angles, joints torques required to maintain a position are calculated by an embedded microcomputer and required joint torques was combined with muscle sensor output signals to generate control signals. We developed an exoskeleton for measurement having the same frame and potentiometers as the suit and measured muscle force by having a user wear the exoskeleton, and proved that each unit of the suit transmitted assistance torque directly to each joint. We also found that a user wearing the suit could lift weight using half or less muscle power, i.e., muscle power doubled.

2P1-S-083 湾曲型空気圧ゴム人工筋を用いた腰部パワーアシスト装置の開発(アクチュエータの機構と制御5,生活を支援するロボメカ技術のメガインテグレーション)

2P1-S-083 湾曲型空気圧ゴム人工筋を用いた腰部パワーアシスト装置の開発(アクチュエータの機構と制御5,生活を支援するロボメカ技術のメガインテグレーション)

1003 空気圧ゴム人工筋を用いた機能回復用パワーアシストグローブの開発(ロボティクス・メカトロニクスI)

1003 空気圧ゴム人工筋を用いた機能回復用パワーアシストグローブの開発(ロボティクス・メカトロニクスI)

Development of Pneumatic Wearable Power Assist Device for Human Arm “ASSIST”

In order to realize an assist of independent life for people in need of care and relieve a physical burden for care worker, an active support splint driven by pneumatic soft actuator (ASSIST) to support a human arm has been developed. ASSIST is constructed with the appliance and the rotary-type soft actuator. Since a weight and hardness of device involve a danger of causing a serious accident for users or neighbors, this device is constructed with components which are a lightweight and have a mechanical softness. In this paper, the structure of developed device is described, and then the control method based on the center of pressure is proposed. Finally, the assist effectiveness using the proposed control method is experimentally discussed.

2P1-S-070 装着型パワーアシスト装置に関する研究 : 回旋動作を考慮した腰部負荷の検証(進化・学習とロボティクス5,生活を支援するロボメカ技術のメガインテグレーション)

2P1-S-070 装着型パワーアシスト装置に関する研究 : 回旋動作を考慮した腰部負荷の検証(進化・学習とロボティクス5,生活を支援するロボメカ技術のメガインテグレーション)

An Analysis of Human Motion for Control of a Wearable Power Assist System

The purpose of this study is to build a control system for a wearable power assisting device, which helps people with lifting heavy things, like a person who can’t move alone in daily life. When we lift something heavy, we use both hands. That’s why a control system that can automatically switch on/off without using hands is necessary. In this study, we analyze human lifting up motion, and reveal characteristics of the motion, to find the suitable timing for switching the wearable power assisting device. Results show that the automatic switching can be realized.

Development of a Small Size Controller for Control of a Wearable Power Assist Device(Power Assist and Nursing 1,Session: TA1-C)

Development of a Small Size Controller for Control of a Wearable Power Assist Device(Power Assist and Nursing 1,Session: TA1-C)

544 ゴム人工筋を用いた人体装着型パワーアシスト装置の開発

544 ゴム人工筋を用いた人体装着型パワーアシスト装置の開発