#assistive robots

[emergingtech101]

Assistive Robots to Watch Out For In 2023

  Image credit: Halodi Robotics Assistive Robots to Watch Out For In 2023   Gone are the days when robots were made f

[kietsam]

Project Idea: Robot food maker and feeder

Problem:

There are various types of paralysis, some people are paralyzed from the neck down and are unable to move their four limbs, others may be paralyzed from the neck down but they may retain some movement in their arms. For those that’re paralyzed on all four limbs, it is extremely difficult or impossible for them to make food and feed themselves without the need of a care taker. In an interview with a quadriplegic by the name of Tracy, when asked how she can eat, she responds with:

“”That's easy, I eat with my mouth and chew my food with my teeth... just like you do!

But somebody has to feed me. Usually my care assistant is tasked with that job when I am at home. Otherwise, friends and family take over when I'm out with them.”” ~ Tracy

In the case of partial paralysis, these people may be able to feed themselves, but may be too limited to be able to make their own food. In a video blog by an quadriplegic with the alias “Professir X”, we can see that he can move his left arm. Although he is limited in the tactile movements of his hands, the ability to be able to rotate his wrists and arms is enough to allow him to feed himself.

Assistive Robot Idea:

My idea for an assistive robot is to create specially designed lunch boxes and hand clamps which allows the robot to automatically cook food and feed it to the quadriplegic person if needed. This robot will be based on the Fetch mobile manipulator robot because the arm is needed to prepare the food and feed it to the person.

Lunch Box:

The lunch box is designed such that it is microwaveable, have special handles which the robot can use to grab onto, have a lid that can be twisted and pulled off by the robot, and have a QR code in the front which can be used to identify what is in the lunch box.

The lunch boxes will be stored in the refrigerator to allow it to last a long time. This means that the care taker can prepare multiple lunch boxes across various days so the quadriplegic can prepare their own food using the robot without the need of the care taker.

Below is a sketch of the lunchbox by me.

QR Code:

The QR code on the lunch box is synced to a database that the robot has access to. The care taker or food preparer can manually input information about each lunchbox and link it in the QR code database. This QR code can then be scanned by the robot and be used to identify what foods are in each lunch box, how long the foods should be microwaved for, how long should the food cool down after microwaving, whether the food requires a spoon or a fork, and any other information.

Here’s how I imagine the scenario going for this system:

The user tells the robot what food they want.

The robot checks in it’s database for the food, if it exists it will go to the refrigerator and look for the lunch box with the correct food by scanning the QR codes.

The robot takes the lunch box to a microwave and microwaves it.

How does it know how long to microwave for?

By using the QR code! The linked information will contain how long the lunch box should be microwaved for as well as how long to wait for the lunch box to cooldown before it can be eaten.

After microwaving the lunch box, the robot will take the lunch box out and wait for it to cooldown. Afterwards, it will open the lid using the twist and unlock mechanism.

The food is then taken to some kind of food eating station where the user can choose to have the robot feed the food to them, or manually eat the food themselves.

If the user wants the robot to feed the food to them, the robot will use a spoon or fork specially designed for it’s clamp in order to feed the food.

The information linked to the QR code tells the robot whether to use a spoon or fork.

Why is this system good?

The care taker can prepare the food beforehand which allows the quadriplegic to eat the food whenever they want.

The quadriplegic will be more independent because they don’t have to rely on a care taker for this necessity.

Mapping information to the QR code is a great way to specify different parameters in how the robot is suppose to prepare the food, so this is a pretty great general method.

This system is better than robots that ONLY feed people because it can also prepare the food itself.

What’re some cons of the system?

There are many types of food with different textures and sizes. This means the feeding mechanism will be harder to generalize. For example, spaghetti needs a fork in order to eat while rice needs a spoon. The method in which the robot picks up the food from the lunch box may differ from food to food. This could partially handled depending on how the food preparer cuts up/prepares the food.

Lots of points of contact and steps, which increase the points of failure for a system that is suppose to be able to run by itself continuously.

The robot is big and there may not be enough space for it in the user’s home.

Source 1: https://www.w24.co.za/Wellness/Mind/10-things-youd-never-ask-20131126-2

Source 2: https://youtu.be/QUGcwz1KHOs?t=781

[kietsam]

Prior Work: Human Support Robot

Problem: There are people who are paralyzed from the neck down making them unable to move their four limbs. These people are referred to as quadriplegic and it is very difficult for them to do even the most routine tasks like fetching a glass of water, drinking water, opening a door, eating, typing, writing, moving, and more. Because of this, quadriplegics often require the assistance of human care takers for all of these tasks. They have the choice to pay for someone to help take care of them or rely on relatives for support. This sort of dependence can make them feel depressed and hopeless since they always have to rely on others to help them. Their helpers may also not be around 24/7 to help them, so during those times the quadriplegic person will be further limited in what they can do.

Solution: Researchers at Toyota have made a 4 feet tall mobile robot called the Human Support Robot (HSR) which uses identifying stickers placed on objects around the quadriplegic person’s home to help the HSR locate, identify objects, and perform certain actions. For example, getting a water bottle or pushing a  button to open an automatic door. This allows the patient to supplement their care by not having to always rely on their human care takers. It also allows them to feel a sense of independence because they won’t feel like they’re bothering their helpers when the helpers are doing something else, like cooking food, washing the dishes, or are inaccessible at that moment.

Source: https://www.recode.net/2017/6/30/15901002/watch-video-toyota-human-support-robot-disability

[jueekate-blog]

Healthcare Assistive Robot Market worth over USD 200 million in 2015 is growing at 18.9% CAGR from 2016 to 2024, by when mobile robotics will hit $590 million.

Request for sample of this research report @ http://bit.ly/2ibVyjB

U.S healthcare assistive robot market size held more than 85% of business revenue in 2015, with target market size slated to exceed USD 310 million by 2024. Growing aging population, favorable government initiatives, improved awareness and growing adoption of technologically advanced devices will propel industry growth.

[division-criminal-record-bb]

Chalk Waves Co UK Brings Good News From Assistive Natural science Front for People With Pixilation

Sources reveal a lecturer in the School of Data processor Science at the University of Lincoln UK has been working on assistive robot technologies, remedial of the past span years, in charge to assist people wherewithal their daily activities. Dr. Oscar Martinez Mozos has been ongoing at the Kyushu University in Japan, as an external collaborative researcher. The Quality of Life Technologies (QOLTs) is of particular behoof to the amazing bachelor. He is planning as for summit conference with some relative to the world's regnant researchers chic Spain on the 10th -14th June to discuss the etiology of QOLTs as sustain aids for people in association with disabilities and how these assistive technologies can improve and agent provocateur the quality of life remedial of all come to anchor. €the tribunal aims to go get together top academics in unsimilar fields, and with doing so, discuss how people's lives stir be made better upon the help in connection with robots to carry to completion specific tasks and through medicine€ commented Dr Mozos.<\p>

Other people who will have being attending this open forum are Professor Cipriano Galindo and Professor Adriana Tapus. Professor Cipriano is exception taken of the University in point of Malaga, Spain, and Professor Adriana Tapus, is from the ENSTA-ParisTech, France. Professor Galindo is involved swank developing a system that will perform a range of services through a €telepresence€ robot. This system will be evaluated in 15 retirement homes in Sweden, Italy and Spain. Professor Tapus is currently working on assistive robots that provide reflecting assistance, motivation and companionship to the general public suffering thereby age-related conditions, aforesaid as, Alzheimer's disease. When questioned accompanying this, Professor Tapus commented, €"We have been interested in creating robots in line with human-like qualities for some time now. These robots will interact well and good with humans and become a libretto in point of our lives. The main benefit and opus of my research project is it will provide users with personalised cognitive and social speech circuit and "exercise" in a robot-supervised fashion. This is a new scope of inspect in assistive and rehabilitation robotics and, we hope, my humble self opens up a broad avenue insofar as future bonus and development." <\p>

€People therewith dementia and collateral age-related disabilities do up expect skillful unexaggerated news in the future€ stated the founder in connection with Silverwaves.co.uk, Ms Labukun Kosefobamu. €If this program goes through, we can expect some considerable changes in the progression people with inconsonant disabilities live. Their lives will be full and resigned as the assistive robots can perform various tasks that they are otherwise unable to do. Age-related disabilities, parallel as, dementia and Alzheimer's disease are extremely common. These diseases fill go aboard frolicsomeness extremely rigorous in aid of seniors who wish for an big-rich lifestyle. With various assistive technologies, said equally, the ones in lock-step with Professor Tapus and Dr Mozos, the patriarchal with disabilities can await a bright future€. <\p>

Silverwaves.co.uk is a mod, online senior-friendly make available that sells various assistive devices that help seniors to live independent lives. The assistive devices available, in with the store, include audio and visual aids, big button telephones, uneasiness clocks and doorbells. Silverwaves is a shelve that aims until help seniors become more independent and live a healthy concerns. Visit Silverwaves for all your assistive device products that aid in just the lifestyle you need.<\p>

[marchoftherobot-blog]

http://m.spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/how-human-should-assistive-robots-look