scholarly journals From a biological template model to gait assistance with an exosuit

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Firouzi ◽  
Ayoob Davoodi ◽  
Fariba Bahrami ◽  
Maziar A. Sharbafi
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
And Control

AbstractBy invention of soft wearable assistive devices, known as exosuits, a new aspect in assisting unimpaired subjects is introduced. In this study, we designed and developed an exosuit with compliant biarticular thigh actuators, called BAExo. Unlike common method of using rigid actuators in exosuits, the BAExo is made of serial elastic actuators (SEA) resembling artificial muscles (AM). This bioinsipred design is complemented by the novel control concept of using the ground reaction force to adjust these AMs’ stiffness in the stance phase. By locking the motors in the swing phase the SEAs will be simplified to passive biarticular springs, which is sufficient for leg swinging. The key concept in our design and control approach is synthesizing human locomotion to develop assistive device, instead of copying the outputs of human motor control. Analysing human walking assistance using an experiment-based OpenSim model demonstrates the advantages of the proposed design and control of BAExo, regarding metabolic cost reduction and efficiency of the system. In addition, pilot experiments with the recently developed BAExo hardware support the applicability of the introduced method.Author summaryAging and mobility of elderly people are of crucial concern in developed countries. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that by the middle of the 21st century, about 80 million Americans will be 65 or older. According to the group’s research, medical costs resulting from falls by the elderly are expected to approach $32.4 billion by 2020. Therefore, assistance of elderly people and making the assistive devices more intelligent is a need in near future. However, this is not the only application of assistive devices. Exosuits, as soft wearable robots, introduced a new aspect in assisting a large range of population, even healthy young people. We introduce a novel design and control method for a new exosuit. As the research in the field of wearable assistive devices is growing in recent years and its application in daily life becomes more evident for the society, such studies with a unique view in design and control could have a significant impact. Our proposed biologically inspired approach could be potentially applied to other exosuits.

Using a saddle-assistive device equipped with mechanical orthosis for walking of the person with incomplete spinal cord injury

2021 ◽  
pp. 095441192110201
Author(s):  
Akbar Hojjati Najafabadi ◽  
Saeid Amini ◽  
Farzam Farahmand
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Vertical Force ◽  
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Combined Application ◽  
Cord Injury

The majority of the people with incomplete spinal cord injury lose their walking ability, due to the weakness of their muscle motors in providing torque. As a result, developing assistive devices to improve their conditionis of great importance. In this study, a combined application of the saddle-assistive device (S-AD) and mechanical medial linkage or thosis was evaluated to improve the walking ability in patients with spinal cord injury in the gait laboratory. This mobile assistive device is called the saddle-assistive device equipped with medial linkage or thosis (S-ADEM). In this device, a mechanical orthosis was used in a wheeled walker as previously done in the literature. Initially, for evaluation of the proposed assistive device, the experimental results related to the forces and torques exerted on the feet and upper limbs of a person with the incomplete Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) during walking usingthe standard walker were compared with an those obtained from using the S-ADEM on an able-bodied subject. It was found that using this combination of assistive devices decreases the vertical force and torque on the foot at the time of walking by 53% and 48%, respectively compared to a standard walker. Moreover, the hand-reaction force on the upper limb was negligible instanding and walking positions usingthe introduced device. The findings of this study revealed that the walking ability of the patients with incomplete SCI was improved using the proposed device, which is due to the bodyweight support and the motion technology used in it.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Spiritual Therapy on Loneliness Feeling in the Seniors Present at Nursing Homes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Batol Ramazani ◽  
Foroogh Bakhtiari
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Spiritual Therapy ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
And Control

Background: Moving away from family can cause psychological and emotional trauma for the elderly. Accordingly, the present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of spiritual therapy on loneliness feeling among the elderly in a nursing home in Isfahan. Methods: The method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The population of this study included all of the elderly in Sadeghieh nursing home in Isfahan in 2018. The sample of this study included 30 elderly people being selected by purposive sampling and then randomly included in the experimental and control groups (15 elderly people in each group). The experimental group received the therapeutic interventions related to spiritual therapy at eight sessions of 90 minutes every week for two months. Then, the subjects in both groups were re-tested. The used instruments included Russell’s loneliness questionnaire (1996). After collecting the questionnaires and extracting the raw data, the data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance by SPSS23 statistical software at 0.05 error level. Results: spiritual therapy had a significant effect on loneliness among the elderly in the nursing home (p < 0.001). In this regard, this therapy could reduce loneliness among the elderly in the nursing home. The effect of spiritual therapy on loneliness among the elderly in the nursing home was 53%. Conclusion: Based on the research findings, spiritual therapy can reduce loneliness among the elderly by the techniques such as taking responsibility, assigning cases to God, strengthening the intention, and deleting negative thoughts.

scholarly journals Modeling and control of a new robotic deburring system

Robotica ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae H. Chung ◽  
Changhoon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Decentralized Control ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Robotic Manipulator ◽  
Coordination Control ◽  
Pneumatic Actuators ◽  
Modeling And Control ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
And Control

This paper discusses the modeling and control of a robotic manipulator with a new deburring tool, which integrates two pneumatic actuators to take advantage of a double cutting action. A coordination control method is developed by decomposing the robotic deburring system into two subsystems; the arm and the deburring tool. A decentralized control approach is pursued, in which suitable controllers were designed for the two subsystems in the coordination scheme. In simulation, three different tool configurations are considered: rigid, single pneumatic and integrated pneumatic tools. A comparative study is performed to investigate the deburring performance of the deburring arm with the different tools. Simulation results show that the developed robotic deburring system significantly improves the accuracy of the deburring operation.

Major Metrics, Concerns, and Assessment Strategy for Mobility Assistive Devices

2020 ◽  
pp. 171-203
Author(s):  
Yiannis Koumpouros
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Mobility Devices ◽  
Mobility Aids ◽  
Environmental Causes ◽  
Elderly Mobility

The ageing of the population is one of the major societal and financial problems. The prevalence of disability increases dramatically by age. The loss of mobility can be devastating to the elderly. Mobility aids are a one-way street to maintain independent mobility. The performance of daily activities is restrained by a series of factors related to the assistive device limitations, or the ones emerged from environmental causes. A literature review reveals minimal tools for assessing mobility assistive devices able to capture users' satisfaction. The chapter presents an assessment methodology in order to investigate assistive mobility devices' limitations, dissatisfaction reasons, and identifies the most appropriate tools to study such limitations and conclude in valid outcomes. One of the valuable characteristics of the study presented in its generalizability since it is not disease oriented. A summary of the results from both the literature review and the real case study on a mixed group of end users are presented in the chapter.

Chances for and Limitations of Brain-Computer Interface use in Elderly People

2015 ◽  
pp. 1723-1734
Author(s):  
Emilia Mikołajewska ◽  
Dariusz Mikołajewski ◽  
Tomasz Komendziński ◽  
Joanna Dreszer-Drogorób ◽  
Monika Lewandowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Computer Interfaces ◽  
Ethical And Legal Issues ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
And Control

Recent demographic prognoses show tendencies toward a significant increase in the number of elderly people, especially in developed countries. This makes geriatric therapy, rehabilitation, and care difficult, especially with maintaining as long as possible the highest quality of life and independence in activities of daily living. Lack of specialized personnel and financial shortages may cause increased application of Assistive Technology (AT) and associated control devices. The most advanced current devices for diagnosis, communication, and control purposes are perceived Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). BCIs use brain-derived bioelectrical signals as an input to enable diagnosis, communication, and/or control (e.g. neuroprostheses, medical robots, wheelchairs, whole integrated environments) without any movement. BCIs are regarded as novel solutions offering another breakthrough in everyday life, care, therapy, and rehabilitation in patients with severe sensory and neuropsychological deficits. However, particular issues in the area of BCIs use in elderly people should be emphasized, including influence of neurodegenerative disorders accompanied with secondary changes resulting from other medical problems (e.g. heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and osteoporosis), co-occurence of various drug therapies, etc. This chapter investigates the extent to which the available opportunities are being exploited, including both chances and limitations, medical, technical, psychological, societal, ethical, and legal issues.

Intelligent Motion Planning and Control for Robotic Joints Using Bio-Inspired Spiking Neural Networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (04) ◽  
pp. 1950012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mircea Hulea ◽  
Adrian Burlacu ◽  
Constantin-Florin Caruntu
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Neural Networks ◽  
Motion Planning ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Robotic Arm ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Robotic Joints ◽  
And Control

This paper details an intelligent motion planning and control approach for a one-degree of freedom joint of a robotic arm that can be used to implement anthropomorphic robotic hands. This intelligent control method is based on bio-inspired electronic neural networks and contractile artificial muscles implemented with shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators. The spiking neural network (SNN) includes several excitatory neurons that naturally determine the contraction force of the actuators, and unevenly distributed inhibitory neurons that regulate the excitatory activity. To validate the proposed concept, the experiments highlight the motion planning and control of a single-joint robotic arm. The results show that the electronic neural network is able to intelligently activate motion and hold with high precision the mobile link to the target positions even if the arm is slightly loaded. These results are encouraging for the development of improved biologically plausible neural structures that are able to control simultaneously multiple muscles.

Modeling and control of a mobile manipulator

Robotica ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 607-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Chung ◽  
S. A. Velinsky
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Harmful Effect ◽  
Euler Method ◽  
Friction Model ◽  
Mobile Manipulator ◽  
Wheel Slip ◽  
Modeling And Control ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
And Control

This paper concerns the modeling and control of a mobile manipulator which consists of a robotic arm mounted upon a mobile platform. The equations of motion are derived using the Lagrange-d'Alembert formulation for the nonholonomic model of the mobile manipulator. The dynamic model which considers slip of the platform's tires is developed using the Newton-Euler method and incorporates Dugoff's tire friction model. Then, the tracking problem is investigated by using a well known nonlinear control method for the nonholonomic model. The adverse effect of the wheel slip on the tracking of commanded motion is discussed in the simulation. For the dynamic model, a variable structure control approach is employed to minimize the harmful effect of the wheel slip on the tracking performance. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm.

Dynamics and Control of a Helicopter Carrying a Payload Using a Cable-Suspended Robot

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
So-Ryeok Oh ◽  
Ji-Chul Ryu ◽  
Sunil K. Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Control Method ◽  
Dual System ◽  
Robust Controller ◽  
Robot System ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Cable Robot ◽  
Dynamics And Control ◽  
Position And Orientation ◽  
And Control ◽  
Scale Control

This paper presents a study of the dynamics and control of a helicopter carrying a payload through a cable-suspended robot. The helicopter can perform gross motion, while the cable suspended robot underneath the helicopter can modulate a platform in position and orientation. Due to the under-actuated nature of the helicopter, the operation of this dual system consisting of the helicopter and the cable robot is challenging. We propose here a two time scale control method, which makes it possible to control the helicopter and the cable robot independently. In addition, this method provides an effective estimation on the bound of the motion of the helicopter. Therefore, even in the case where the helicopter motion is unknown, the cable robot can be stabilized by implementing a robust controller. Simulation results of the dual system show that the proposed control approach is effective for such a helicopter-robot system.

scholarly journals NOSOLOGICAL SPECTRUM OF THE DISABILITY IN THE ELDERLY POPULATION OF THE ELDERLY CATEGORY IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND PECULIARITIES OF REHABILITATION-EXPERT DIAGNOSTICS, REHABILITATION AND ABILITATION

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 136-143
Author(s):  
Marina A. Shurgaya
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Elderly Age ◽  
The Russian Federation

Disability of the elderly age group of the population is the most important problem of public health and social services of all developed countries over the world without exception. In the Russian Federation, this age segment is characterized by the gain, reflecting the global process of population aging. The aim of the study was to analyze the nosological structure of the primary and secondary disability in elderly people in comparison with the main age categories of the adult population in the Russian Federation and the evaluation of rehabilitation / rehabilitation activities for disabled people. The volume of the study was 34,840,933 people aged of from 18 years and over, recognized as disabled, including the disabled elderly - 12,971,062. The subject of a special study was the nature of functional disorders, the degree of the disability, the nosological spectrum of causes of the disability of elderly people and the effectiveness of implemented measures of medical and social rehabilitation (rehabilitation and expert characterization). The study was selective, the sample size account of 370 people. The results of the research demonstrate the nosological structure of the pathology, the associated types of impairments and the nature of the disability to determine the severity of the disability in elderly people, the complexity of the formation and implementation of individual programs for the rehabilitation and rehabilitation of disabled people (IPRA). The improvement of the quality of life and integrating disabled people into the society has been and remains a difficult task for rehabilitation and habilitation activities. Rehabilitation and provision of technical means of rehabilitation, to a lesser extent - social and professional rehabilitation are the most feasible for the implementation.

The Status of Elderly People in Nepal

Patan Pragya ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18
Author(s):  
Gokarna Raj Aryal
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
National Development ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
The Status ◽  
Present Context ◽  
The Government

Elderly citizens are the sources of knowledge, experiences and collections of different ideas in every society or nation. If we use their ability, long experiences and their conscience, our society or nation will be benefitted to reform national development and prosperity. Ageing population is a global phenomenon and the number is rapidly increasing in developing countries as compared to developed countries. The government of Nepal has declared that people with 60 years or more are elderly citizens. The growth rate of the elderly population is faster than that of the total population in Nepal. The observation shows that the proportion of elderly population is high in mountain and hilly regions as compared to Terai. However, it is noted that female elderly population is the highest among three ecological regions. The growing numbers of ageing population is a major concern in most of the developing countries like Nepal. The social, economic and demographic impacts of ageing population possess both opportunities and challenges to every society. In this situation, the Government of Nepal should attempt to enhance the self-reliance and provide social security of its elderly people to facilitate their continuous participation in society. The Government of Nepal has introduced the universal old aged allowances program since 1994/95 as a non-contributing social assistance to elderly citizens with 70 years or more. The starting allowances are nominal. At present context, it is not a sufficient amount for the elderly citizens but they have little support to health care, medicine, entertainment and desired foods and fruits. Likewise, the Government should establish old age homes, day care and ageing centers and parks for entertainment.

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