Assistive Technologies for Biologically Inspired Controller System - A Short Review Assistive Technologies for the Elderly

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kishore Kumar ◽  
Dinesh Shanmugam ◽  
Seung Nam Min ◽  
Murali Subramaniyam
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Biologically Inspired ◽  
System A

Macrosomia and the IGF System: A Short Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Hanine FM Al-Far ◽  
Ingvild H. Tjessem ◽  
Finn F. Lauszus
Keyword(s):  
Short Review ◽  
System A ◽  
Igf System

scholarly journals Letter to the Editor: Microbiota in the Respiratory System—A Possible Explanation to Age and Sex Variability in Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117863612098860
Author(s):  
Vishal Shah
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory System ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Elderly Adult ◽  
Human Respiratory Tract ◽  
System A ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
Age And Sex

The Human respiratory tract is colonized by a variety of microbes and the microbiota change as we age. In this perspective, literature support is presented for the hypothesis that the respiratory system microbiota could explain the differential age and sex breakdown amongst COVID-19 patients. The number of patients in the older and elderly adult group is higher than the other age groups. The perspective presents the possibility that certain genera of bacteria present in the respiratory system microbiota in children and young adults could be directly or through eliciting an immune response from the host, prevent full-fledged infection of SARS-CoV-2. The possibility also exists that the microbiota in older adults and the elderly population have bacteria that make it easier for the virus to cause infection. I call upon the scientific community to investigate the link between human microbiota and SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility to further understand the viral pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Rescuing Immunosenescence via Non-Specific Vaccination

Immuno ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-239
Author(s):  
Alexander I. Mosa
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Functional Markers ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Related Disease ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Population Vulnerability ◽  
Mechanistic Basis ◽  
Promising Avenue

Discrepancies in lifespan and healthy-life span are predisposing populations to an increasing burden of age-related disease. Accumulating evidence implicates aging of the immune system, termed immunosenescence, in the pathogenesis of multiple age-related diseases. Moreover, immune dysregulation in the elderly increases vulnerability to infection and dampens pathogen-specific immune responses following vaccination. The health challenges manifesting from these age related deficits have been dramatically exemplified by the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Approaches to either attenuate or reverse functional markers of immunosenescence are therefore urgently needed. Recent evidence suggests systemic immunomodulation via non-specific vaccination with live-attenuated vaccines may be a promising avenue to at least reduce aged population vulnerability to viral infection. This short review describes current understanding of immunosenescence, the historical and mechanistic basis of vaccine-mediated immunomodulation, and the outstanding questions and challenges required for broad adoption.

scholarly journals Wearability and Usability Assessment of Cliff: An Automatized Zipper

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Mohamad Zairi Baharom ◽  
◽  
Frank Delbressine ◽  
Loe Feijs ◽  
Marina Toeters
Keyword(s):  
User Study ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Usability Assessment

Being independent to dress or undress is important for everybody. However, (un)zipping to (un)dress is a task that is difficult for elders, especially when the zipper is in a hard-to-reach location. This paper presents the invention of Cliff: an automatized zipper and a user study performed to evaluate the wearability and how useful it is to the elderly. Results of the user study show that the elderly rated Cliff as wearable, useful, and makes the zipping and unzipping task much easier for them. This prototype system and the feedback received from the elderly contribute to the design of fashionable automated assistive technologies.

Digital cities of the future: Extending @home assistive technologies for the elderly and the disabled

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 176-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charalampos Doukas ◽  
Vangelis Metsis ◽  
Eric Becker ◽  
Zhengyi Le ◽  
Fillia Makedon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Disabled

Factors affecting changes in rheological properties of blood – literature review

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-250
Author(s):  
Magdalena Kępińska ◽  
Zbigniew Szyguła ◽  
Zbigniew Dąbrowski ◽  
Marta Szarek
Keyword(s):  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Vascular System ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Physiological Factors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
System A ◽  
High Elasticity ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Biochemical Indices

Erythrocytes have high elasticity and the ability to build blood aggregates, they can pass through the smallest capillaries, thus ensuring the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide in all areas of the vascular system. A decrease in the deformability of erythrocytes may result in reduced blood flow and thereby the cause of many diseases. The increase in blood viscosity is observed, among others, in diabetes, hypertension, obesity and the elderly. Rheological studies of blood in conjunction with morphological and biochemical indices of blood provide valuable information about health of the patient. Any change in the viscosity of blood or plasma should be monitored, as this may indicate a health problem. The aim of the study was to present, based on the available scientific literature, physiological factors influencing changes in rheological properties of blood, for example: exercise, temperature and body weight

scholarly journals Imagining and tinkering with assistive robotics in care for the disabled

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Christian Mossfeldt Nickelsen
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Assistive Robotics ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Welfare Technology

Abstract The media and political-managerial levels focus on the opportunities to re-perform the Scandinavian welfare states through digitization. Especially in Denmark, this trend is prominent. Welfare technology is a Scandinavian notion used to point at assistive technologies intending to support the elderly, the disabled and care providers. Feeding assistive robotics (FAR) is a welfare technology relevant to citizens with no or low function in their arms. Despite national dissemination strategies, it proves difficult to recruit suitable users. There have been many promises for the potential of assistive robotics including more cost-efficient healthcare delivery, engaged patients and connected care providers. However, the realities of enacting assistive robotics, whether as patients or care providers, can be complicated in ways often unanticipated by government agencies and technology developers. This study discusses governmental agencies’ and technology developers’ visions with regard to what robotics may do and argues that these visions intertwine with affected stakeholders’ organizing of theirworlds. On this founding, the article discusses the resulting tinkering during implementation. The study exemplifies and demonstrates how ethnography can be used as an important method in Human Robot Interaction (HRI) research. The Actor Network Theory idea of ‘follow the actor’ inspired the study that took place as multi-sited ethnography at different locations in Denmark and Sweden. Based on desk research, observation of meals and interviews the study examines sociotechnical imaginaries and their practical and ethical implications.Human and FAR interaction demands engagement, sustained patience and understanding of the citizen’s particular body, identity and situation. The article contributes to the HRI literature by providing detailed empirical analysis based on an ethnographic studywhere political strategies, technology developers’ assumptions and affected stakeholders’ everyday hassles are in focus at the same time.

scholarly journals The Puller-Follower Control of Compliant and Noncompliant Antagonistic Tendon Drives in Robotic Systems

10.5772/10690 ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veljko Potkonjak ◽  
Bratislav Svetozarevic ◽  
Kosta Jovanovic ◽  
Owen Holland
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategy ◽  
Energetic Efficiency ◽  
Joint Control ◽  
Biologically Inspired ◽  
External Disturbances ◽  
Joint System ◽  
System A ◽  
Agonist And Antagonist ◽  
On Line ◽  
Robust Control Design

This paper proposes a new control strategy for noncompliant and compliant antagonistic tendon drives. It is applied to a succession of increasingly complex single-joint systems, starting with a linear and noncompliant system and ending with a revolute, nonlinearly tendon coupled and compliant system. The last configuration mimics the typical human joint structure, used as a model for certain joints of the anthropomimetic robot ECCEROBOT. The control strategy is based on a biologically inspired puller-follower concept, which distinguishes the roles of the agonist and antagonist motors. One actuator, the puller, is considered as being primarily responsible for the motion, while the follower prevents its tendon from becoming slack by maintaining its tendon force at some non-zero level. Certain movements require switching actuator roles; adaptive co-contraction is used to prevent tendons slackening, while maintaining energetic efficiency. The single-joint control strategy is then evaluated in a multi-joint system. Dealing with the gravitational and dynamic effects arising from the coupling in a multi-joint system, a robust control design has to be applied with on-line gravity compensation. Finally, an experiment corresponding to object grasping is presented to show the controller's robustness to external disturbances.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document