Related papers: Soft Semi-active Back Support Device with Adaptive…
Balance is the fundamental skill behind human locomotion, and its impairment is the principal indicator of self-perceived disability. Despite significant improvements in balance assessment, there is still large incidence of fall related…
While its biological significance is well-documented, its application in soft robotics, particularly for the transport of fragile and irregularly shaped objects, remains underexplored. This study presents a modular soft robotic actuator…
Robotic manipulation in unstructured, humancentric environments poses a dual challenge: achieving the precision need for delicate free-space operation while ensuring safety during unexpected contact events. Traditional wrists struggle to…
The design of robots that are light, soft, powerful is a grand challenge. Since they can easily adapt to dynamic environments, soft robotic systems have the potential of changing the status-quo of bulky robotics. A crucial component of soft…
Soft robotic actuators are safe and adaptable devices with inherent compliance, which makes them attractive for manipulating delicate and complex objects. Researchers have integrated stiff materials into soft actuators to increase their…
We here present work a generalized low-level technical framework aimed to provide musical biofeedback in post-stroke balance and gait rehabilitation, built by an iterative user-centered process. The framework comprises wireless wearable…
In this paper, a compressed air-actuated soft robotic module was developed by incorporating a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire into its structure to achieve the desired bending angle with greater precision. First, a fiber-reinforced bending…
This paper evaluates the capabilities of a soft robotic pneumatic actuator derived from the terrain display haptic device, "The Smart Shoe." The bladder design of the Smart Shoe is upgraded to include a pressure supply and greater output…
We introduce PROD (Palpative Reconstruction of Deformables), a novel method for reconstructing the shape and mechanical properties of deformable objects using elastostatic signed distance functions (SDFs). Unlike traditional approaches that…
Different loading modes can significantly affect human gait, posture, and lower limb biomechanics. This study investigated the muscle activity intensity of the lower limb soleus muscle in the slope environment of young healthy adult male…
Wearable devices have strict power and memory limitations. As a result, there is a need to optimize the power consumption on those devices without sacrificing the accuracy. This paper presents AdaSense: a sensing, feature extraction and…
Movement disorders impact muscle strength and mobility, and despite therapeutic efforts, many people with movement disorders have challenges functioning independently. Soft wearable robots, or exosuits, offer a promising solution for…
This paper presents and experimentally demonstrates a novel framework for variable assistance on lower body exoskeletons, based upon safety-critical control methods. Existing work has shown that providing some freedom of movement around a…
Variable impedance actuators (VIAs) as tool devices for teleoperation could extend the range of tasks that humans can perform through a teleoperated robot by mimicking the change of upper limb stiffness that humans perform for different…
Around 50 billion dollars is spent yearly on therapy for low back pain in the United States alone. Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for doctor visits. Having poor posture has been found to be a main cause of lower back pain…
In the construction of simulations of rear-end vehicle impacts, the Articulated Total Body (ATB) software package can be a useful tool. In this article we discuss the effect of using artificially inflated values for seat-backrest stiffness…
We propose, implement and evaluate a natural human-machine control interface for a variable stiffness transradial hand prosthesis that achieves tele-impedance control through surface electromyography (sEMG) signals. This interface, together…
Compared to traditional rigid robotics, soft robotics has attracted increasing attention due to its advantages as compliance, safety, and low cost. As an essential part of soft robotics, the soft robotic gripper also shows its superior…
This paper presents a new design of CADEL, a cable-driven elbow-assisting device, with light weighting and control improvements. The new device design is appropriate to be more portable and user-oriented solution, presenting additional…
Physical therapy (PT) is a key component of many rehabilitation regimens, such as treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, there are shortages of physical therapists and adherence to self-guided PT is low. Robots have the potential…