Report on the Stanford/Ames direct-link space suit prehensor

Researchers at the Center for Design Research at Stanford University, in collaboration with NASA Ames at Moffet Field, California, are developing hand-powered mechanical prehensors to replace gloves for EVA spacesuits. The design and functional properties of the first version Direct Link Prehensor (DLP) is discussed. It has a total of six degrees-of-freedom and is the most elaborate of three prehensors being developed for the project. The DLP has a robust design and utilizes only linkages and revolute joints for the drive system. With its anthropomorphic configuration of two fingers and a thumb, it is easy to control and is capable of all of the basic prehension patterns such as cylindrical or lateral pinch grasps. Kinematic analysis reveals that, assuming point contacts, a grasped object can be manipulated with three degrees-of-freedom. Yet, in practice more degrees-of-freedom are possible

Analyzing the display of professional knowledge through interpersonal interactions in design reviews

Design review in an educational setting is an activity that helps educators in assessing students’ progress, and provides opportunities for students to learn how professionals in the field perceive and judge design-in-process, aka professional vision. In this study we analyzed design reviews to understand how interpersonal interactions between participants provides a context for the expression of professional knowledge. We identified episodes of professional vision interaction, and examined the interpersonal responses that constitute a design review meeting. The results of the analysis demonstrated how the context for the display of professional vision was co-created through interactions between the reviewer and the students

Design, development and evaluation of Stanford/Ames EVA prehensors

Space Station operations and maintenance are expected to make unprecedented demands on astronaut EVA. With Space Station expected to operate with an 8 to 10 psi atmosphere (4 psi for Shuttle operations), the effectivness of pressurized gloves is called into doubt at the same time that EVA activity levels are to be increased. To address the need for more frequent and complex EVA missions and also to extend the dexterity, duration, and safety of EVA astronauts, NASA Ames and Stanford University have an ongoing cooperative agreement to explore and compare alternatives. This is the final Stanford/Ames report on manually powered Prehensors, each of which consists of a shroud forming a pressure enclosure around the astronaut's hand, and a linkage system to transfer the motions and forces of the hand to mechanical digits attached to the shroud. All prehensors are intended for attachment to a standard wrist coupling, as found on the AX-5 hard suit prototype, so that realistic tests can be performed under normal and reduced gravity as simulated by water flotation

Meaningful age-friendly design. Case studies on enabling assistive technology.

The world population is steadily ageing and the World Health Organization recently stated that 8.5 percent of people worldwide are aged 65 and over. This cohort is projected to account for 1.6 billion people by 2050. Assistive Technology has been developed over previous decades with a particular aim to support people with disabilities. With the evolution of the market and the introduction of wearable technologies and IoT-based (Internet of Things) appliances, Assistive Technology has been influenced by the discipline of Age-Friendly Design, which has been applied to meaningfully improve the autonomy of a larger segment of the population, including older people. In order to discuss how Age-Friendly Design can influence the response of the market, and how users can better engage and benefit from Assistive Technology, this work aims to critically review, through a case study research methodology, a series of recently developed devices that have the potential to change user perception around Assistive Technology. As a conclusion, the reported case studies represent a preliminary validation of how Age-Friendly Design can represent a meaningful solution for enabling a wider group of people with different ages and abilities. Findings show that user experience, satisfaction and Emotional Design are the key drivers for developing marketable solutions in the area of Assistive Technology

A decade of telerobotics in rehabilitation: Demonstrated utility blocked by the high cost of manipulation and the complexity of the user interface

The Stanford/VA Interactive Robotics Laboratory set out in 1978 to test the hypothesis that industrial robotics technology could be applied to serve the manipulation needs of severely impaired individuals. Five generations of hardware, three generations of system software, and over 125 experimental subjects later, we believe that genuine utility is achievable. The experience includes development of over 65 task applications using voiced command, joystick control, natural language command and 3D object designation technology. A brief foray into virtual environments, using flight simulator technology, was instructive. If reality and virtuality come for comparable prices, you cannot beat reality. A detailed review of assistive robot anatomy and the performance specifications needed to achieve cost/beneficial utility will be used to support discussion of the future of rehabilitation telerobotics. Poised on the threshold of commercial viability, but constrained by the high cost of technically adequate manipulators, this worthy application domain flounders temporarily. In the long run, it will be the user interface that governs utility

Telerobotics in rehabilitation: Barriers to a virtual existence

The topics covered include the following: the need for telerobotics in rehabilitation; barriers to telerobotics technology in rehabilitation and health care; institutional barriers; technical barriers; and a partial view of the future

Design, development and evaluation of Stanford/Ames Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) prehensors

A summary is given of progress to date on work proposed in 1983 and continued in 1985, including design iterations on three different types of manually powered prehensors, construction of functional mockups of each and culminating in detailed drawings and specifications for suit-compatible sealed units for testing under realistic conditions

A framework for understanding the workspace activity of design teams

Abstract ’ Small group design sessions were empirically studied to understand better collaborative workspace activity. A conventional view of workspace activity may be characterized as concerned only with storing information and conveying ideas through text and graphics. Empirical evidence shows that this view is deficient in not accounting for how the workspace is used: a) in a group setting, rather than by an individual, and b) as part of a process of constructing artifacts, rather than just a medium for the resulting artifacts themselves. An understanding of workspace activity needs to include the role of gestural activity, and the use of the workspace to develop ideas and mediate interaction. A framework that helps illustrate an expanded view of workspace activity is proposed and supported with empirical data

A reflective approach to learning in a global design project

This paper describes a three-week project run jointly between the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, MA and Stanford University, CA. The purpose of this class was to provide students with an understanding of the technological and organisational issues involved in global product development teams, and to provide an experience which would prepare them for work in such environments. Reflective learning techniques were applied, including reviews of relevant literature, analyses of case studies, and a critical review of the completed project. The main result of this approach was that students had a more considered attitude towards the project process than in typical, more output-focussed student design assignments. This was crucial given the cultural and pedagogical variations across institutions. The Global Team Design Project was successful, particularly for the first year of implementation, and provides a potential framework that other institutions could employ in similar project classe