Assessment of Muscle Activation of Caregivers Performing Dependent Transfers With a Novel Robotic-Assisted Transfer Device Compared With the Hoyer Advance

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare muscle activity in caregivers while using a novel robotic assistive transfer device (Strong Arm) to a clinical standard of care (Hoyer Advance). DESIGN: A Quasi-Experimental design was used in which twenty caregivers (33±15 years old) performed transfers with three surfaces (toilet, bench and shower chair) with the Strong Arm and Hoyer Advance. Transfer completion time (sec), peak percentage surface electromyography (EMG) and integrated EMG of the bilateral erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major and anterior deltoid were measured. RESULTS: Caregivers required less transfer time when transferring from wheelchair to surface using the Hoyer Advance (p=.011, f=.39). Lower back: significantly lower pEMG were found using Strong Arm in 50% and for the iEMG in 25% of the cases, with the remaining cases showing no significant differences. Shoulder: significantly lower pEMG were found using Strong Arm in 19% of transfers and lower iEMG was found in 25% of transfers when using the Hoyer Advance, with the remaining cases showing no significant differences. CONCLUSION: While back muscle activation during Strong Arm transfers is statistically, but not clinically, lower, additional features that couple with significantly lower muscle activation make it an alternative to the clinical standard for further research and possible clinical applicability

Assistive technology design and development for acceptable robotics companions for ageing years

© 2013 Farshid Amirabdollahian et al., licensee Versita Sp. z o. o. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license, which means that the text may be used for non-commercial purposes, provided credit is given to the author.A new stream of research and development responds to changes in life expectancy across the world. It includes technologies which enhance well-being of individuals, specifically for older people. The ACCOMPANY project focuses on home companion technologies and issues surrounding technology development for assistive purposes. The project responds to some overlooked aspects of technology design, divided into multiple areas such as empathic and social human-robot interaction, robot learning and memory visualisation, and monitoring persons’ activities at home. To bring these aspects together, a dedicated task is identified to ensure technological integration of these multiple approaches on an existing robotic platform, Care-O-Bot®3 in the context of a smart-home environment utilising a multitude of sensor arrays. Formative and summative evaluation cycles are then used to assess the emerging prototype towards identifying acceptable behaviours and roles for the robot, for example role as a butler or a trainer, while also comparing user requirements to achieved progress. In a novel approach, the project considers ethical concerns and by highlighting principles such as autonomy, independence, enablement, safety and privacy, it embarks on providing a discussion medium where user views on these principles and the existing tension between some of these principles, for example tension between privacy and autonomy over safety, can be captured and considered in design cycles and throughout project developmentsPeer reviewe

Stability analysis of electrical powered wheelchair-mounted robotic-assisted transfer device

The ability of people with disabilities to live in their homes and communities with maximal independence often hinges, at least in part, on their ability to transfer or be transferred by an assistant. Because of limited resources and the expense of personal care, robotic transfer assistance devices will likely be in great demand. An easy-to-use system for assisting with transfers, attachable to electrical powered wheelchairs (EPWs) and readily transportable, could have a significant positive effect on the quality of life of people with disabilities. We investigated the stability of our newly developed Strong Arm, which is attached and integrated with an EPW to assist with transfers. The stability of the system was analyzed and verified by experiments applying different loads and using different system configurations. The model predicted the distributions of the system’s center of mass very well compared with the experimental results. When real transfers were conducted with 50 and 75 kg loads and an 83.25 kg dummy, the current Strong Arm could transfer all weights safely without tip-over. Our modeling accurately predicts the stability of the system and is suitable for developing better control algorithms to enhance the safety of the device

ROAD: Domestic Assistant and Rehabilitation Robot

This study introduces the concept design and analysis of a robotic system for the assistance and rehabilitation of disabled people. Based on the statistical data of the most common types of disabilities in Spain and other industrialized countries, the different tasks that the device must be able to perform have been determined. In this study, different robots for rehabilitation and assistance previously introduced have been reviewed. This survey is focused on those robots that assist with gait, balance and standing up. The structure of the ROAD robot presents various advantages over these robots, we discuss some of them. The performance of the proposed architecture is analyzed when it performs the sit to stand activity

Ergonomic Assessment of a Robotic Assisted Transfer Device for Conducting Caregiver Assisted Wheelchair Transfers

Depending on the nature of an injury or illness, a care recipient benefits from caregiver assistance when moving to and from a target surface, a maneuver known as an assisted transfer. When performed manually, that is physically with no assistance, a transfer exposes the caregiver to muscle fatigue in the back, shoulders, and upper extremities, endangering themselves as well as their care recipient. Because of the relief they provide caregivers, transfer lift systems are becoming a common clinical standard to counter exposure to such risk factors. Use of such devices improves the safety of performing transfers as well as their efficiency. As the population continues to age and society becomes more inclusive of disability, it is imperative to advance such technologies as to improve their usability in and out of a clinical workspace. Robotics present a unique opportunity for caregivers to perform a safe and effective transfer while reducing the risk for musculoskeletal injury and progressing independent living for a mobility device user. The purpose of this project was to assess caregivers performing transfers using a portable, ambidextrous robotic assisted transfer device (RATD). This was performed over the course of two studies: (1) a “proof of concept” assessment in which the trunk kinematics and usability feedback from caregivers (N=21) were compared between a prototype of the novel RATD and a Mechanical Floor Lift (the clinical standard of care), and (2) an ergonomic assessment in which caregivers (N=28) conducted transfers on their paired care recipient (N=28) using a second generation RATD, from which trunk kinematics, usability feedback, cognitive load, and muscle activation was compared to the Mechanical Floor Lift. The outcomes of both studies provided insight and promise into the application of a novel engineering concept to advance performance of a critical activity of daily living (ADL) for people living with a mobility impairment as well as to improve quality of care delivery provided by their caregivers

Design and Development of Assistive Robots for Close Interaction with People with Disabilities

People with mobility and manipulation impairments wish to live and perform tasks as independently as possible; however, for many tasks, compensatory technology does not exist, to do so. Assistive robots have the potential to address this need. This work describes various aspects of the development of three novel assistive robots: the Personal Mobility and Manipulation Appliance (PerMMA), the Robotic Assisted Transfer Device (RATD), and the Mobility Enhancement Robotic Wheelchair (MEBot). PerMMA integrates mobility with advanced bi-manual manipulation to assist people with both upper and lower extremity impairments. The RATD is a wheelchair mounted robotic arm that can lift higher payloads and its primary aim is to assist caregivers of people who cannot independently transfer from their electric powered wheelchair to other surfaces such as a shower bench or toilet. MEBot is a wheeled robot that has highly reconfigurable kinematics, which allow it to negotiate challenging terrain, such as steep ramps, gravel, or stairs. A risk analysis was performed on all three robots which included a Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and a Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) to identify potential risks and inform strategies to mitigate them. Identified risks or PerMMA include dropping sharp or hot objects. Critical risks identified for RATD included tip over, crush hazard, and getting stranded mid-transfer, and risks for MEBot include getting stranded on obstacles and tip over. Lastly, several critical factors, such as early involvement of people with disabilities, to guide future assistive robot design are presented

How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program