Related papers: Quantifying Ergonomics in the Elevate Soft Robotic…
Guidance robots that can guide people and avoid various obstacles, could potentially be owned by more visually impaired people at a fairly low cost. Most of the previous guidance robots for the visually impaired ignored the human response…
Although a growing number of exoskeletons have been developed for occupational applications, wrist exoskeletons remain relatively rare. However, in the meat processing industry, elbow and hand-wrist musculoskeletal disorders are…
Passive shoulder exoskeletons have been widely introduced in the industry to aid upper extremity movements during repetitive overhead work. As an ergonomic intervention, it is important to understand how users adapt to these devices over…
This study presents the design and the kinematic optimization of a novel, underactuated, linkage-based robotic hand exoskeleton to assist users in performing grasping tasks. The device has been designed to apply only normal forces to the…
This work proposes a compact robotic limb, AugLimb, that can augment our body functions and support the daily activities. AugLimb adopts the double-layer scissor unit for the extendable mechanism which can achieve 2.5 times longer than the…
We present a computational design system that assists users to model, optimize, and fabricate quad-robots with soft skins.Our system addresses the challenging task of predicting their physical behavior by fully integrating the multibody…
Soft robots exhibit inherent compliance and safety, which makes them particularly suitable for applications requiring direct physical interaction with humans, such as surgical procedures. However, their nonlinear and hysteretic behavior,…
When we develop wearable assistive devices comfort and support are two main issues needed to be considered. In conventional design approaches, the degree of freedom of wearer's joint movement tends to be oversimplified. Accordingly, the…
Common disabilities like stroke and spinal cord injuries may cause loss of motor function in hands. They can be treated with robot assisted rehabilitation techniques, like continuously opening and closing the hand with help of a robot, in a…
Tree fruit growers around the world are facing labor shortages for critical operations, including harvest and pruning. There is a great interest in developing robotic solutions for these labor-intensive tasks, but current efforts have been…
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a promising solution for handling the complexity of fabricating soft robots. However, the AM of hyperelastic materials is still challenging with a limited material range. Within this work, pellet-based 3D…
An appropriate user interface to collect human demonstration data for deformable object manipulation has been mostly overlooked in the literature. We present an interaction design for demonstrating cloth folding to robots. Users choose pick…
We describe a fluidic actuator design that replaces the sealed chamber of a hydraulic cylinder using a soft actuator to provide compliant linear compression with a large force ($\geq$100 N) at a low operation pressure ($\leq$50 kPa) for a…
Mobile robots joining public spaces like sidewalks must care for pedestrian comfort. Many studies consider pedestrians' objective safety, for example, by developing collision avoidance algorithms, but not enough studies take the…
To enhance lifting-load estimation accuracy in industrial upper-limb assistive exoskeletons, this study proposes a machine learning-based approach using insole pressure sensors. Unlike traditional methods that rely on electromyography…
Robotic caregivers could potentially improve the quality of life of many who require physical assistance. However, in order to assist individuals who are lying in bed, robots must be capable of dealing with a significant obstacle: the…
Recurrent or sustained awkward body postures are among the most frequently cited risk factors to the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). To prevent workers from adopting harmful configurations but also to guide…
This paper presents a novel approach to evaluating back support exoskeletons (BSEs) in workplace settings addressing the limitations of traditional methods like electromyography (EMG), which are impractical due to their sensitivity to…
Soft robots have struggled to support large forces and moments while also supporting their own weight against gravity. This limits their ability to reach certain configurations necessary for tasks such as inspection and pushing objects up.…
State of the art controllers for back exoskeletons largely rely on body kinematics. This results in control strategies which cannot provide adaptive support under unknown external loads. We developed a neuromechanical model-based controller…