KULEX: ADL Power Assistant Robotic System for the Elderly and the Disabled (Abstract for Video)

Abstract

A new robotic system for upper-limb power assistance of the elderly and the disabled has been developed. It is composed of the three main modules, 1-DOF under-actuated hand module for the assistance of hand grasp motion, 3-DOF exoskeleton-type parallel wrist mechanism for wrist power assistance, and 6-DOF serial chain in order to assist an arbitrary movement of an operator's forearm. The operating capability of the proposed robot is observed from a demonstration of the robot performing some activities-of-daily-living (ADL) tasks such as picking up a pen with pinch grasp, gripping an object with power grasp, and brushing teeth.