Title :
Stable turning movement of a gait-controlled personal mobility “Tread-Walk 1”
Author :
Ando, Takeshi ; Ogawa, Yu. ; Nakashima, Yasutaka ; Ohki, Eiichi ; Kobayashi, Yo ; Nihei, Misato ; Fujie, Masakatsu G.
Author_Institution :
Waseda Univ., Tokyo, Japan
Abstract :
We have been developing the new personal mobility aid, "Tread-Walk 1," which is controlled by the driver\´s walking pace and amplifies walking velocity. The Tread-Walk 1 not only assists mobility but also helps the elderly maintain their physical abilities. However, the turning movement of the Tread-Walk is likely to be unstable, because the Tread-Walk is controlled by walking. In this paper, we focus on the stable turning movement of the Tread-Walk 1. First, we simulate the centrifugal force applied to the driver, which was not considered in our previous report. Then, a new algorithm to realize stable turning movement is established by measuring the driver\´s standing position. Finally, the developed algorithm for the turning movement of the Tread-Walk 1 is evaluated by measuring the handle grasping time. With the new algorithm, the Tread-Walk 1 turned steadily and driver did not lose their balance.
Keywords :
gait analysis; handicapped aids; medical robotics; Tread-Walk 1; centrifugal force; elderly people; gait-controlled personal mobility; handle grasping time; independent walking; physical abilities; stable turning movement; Grasping; Gravity; Legged locomotion; Senior citizens; Turning; Wheels;
Conference_Titel :
Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2011 IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Shanghai
Print_ISBN :
978-1-61284-386-5
DOI :
10.1109/ICRA.2011.5979951