A kinematical analysis of human meal movement based on the optimal maneuverability distribution

The purpose of the study on wearable power assist devices is to develop a support system for those who require care. To design the system, it is a crucial problem to arrange freedom without disturbing the human body movement. In this study, we extracted the major modes of human meal movement by calculating the optimal arrangement of freedom. From the motion capture data of meal movement, the major modes were extracted through the mode analyses. As the results of the analyses, the shoulder´s extension/flection motions and external/internal motions and the elbow´s extension/flection were necessary arrangement of freedom to gain optimal maneuverability in the wide area of the workspace.