DEX-a low cost remote-controlled fetch and carry robot

A project to determine the important functional and design features of a mobile domestic robot for the disabled has parallelled the development of a first prototype, DEX. This project has included an ongoing investigation into the needs of Dundee´s disabled population. Fifty-five persons were contacted by the School of Biomedical Engineering to assess their level of independence in their domestic environment and their response to the use of a low-technology remote-controlled robot like DEX to assist with everyday tasks. The paper describes the robot and the results of the survey. The working prototype consists of a mobile base with a highly manoeuvrable wheel configuration to allow motion in any chosen direction, and a gripping device which can be moved from ground level to a height of 1.2 m on a vertical runner