Development of an autonomous forearm-supported walker for nursing facilities

• Published in: Artificial life and robotics Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 432 - 441
• Main Authors: Mori, Yuto, Yokoyama, Soichiro, Yamashita, Tomohisa, Kawamura, Hidenori, Kato, Norio, Mori, Masato
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01.11.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Computation by Abstract Devices; Computer Science; Control; Forearm; Mechatronics; Muscles; Nurses; Nursing; Original Article; Robotics; Walker; SLAM; Autonomous driving; Nursing care equipment; Welfare engineering; ROS
• ISSN: 1433-5298; 1614-7456
• DOI: 10.1007/s10015-021-00698-8

Owing to technological advancements in medicine and nursing, an aging population has emerged in Japan. Consequently, the elderly need extra care and support from their caregivers. This study develops an autonomous forearm-supported walker for users who can handle the walker without any support. The three main functions of the proposed walker include moving with the weight support of the user, assisting the user in walking, and autonomous driving. These functions are expected to assist the patient in walking, hence reducing the burden on the nursing staff. In this study, we experimented on the degree of support in straight-line walking using the walking support function of the proposed walker. The effect of the walking support function was confirmed by measuring the muscle activity of five muscles of the subject’s lower limbs. In addition, we confirmed the accuracy of the autonomous driving function by checking the results of the self-position estimation during 90 turns and forward movement. Additionally, we conducted a route driving experiment that confirmed the possibility of driving without a significant deviation from the set route.