Self-Assisted Care System for Human Mobility

Abstract

Since humans are bipedal, it is easy to become bedridden when the hip and legs become weakened or disabled due to aging or other causes. If such physically challenged people are enabled to get up from bed and move to a nearby location, however, they could use their arms and hands to do certain tasks such as taking meals or writing. In this paper, we propose a wearable device for supporting the human body that can be easily worn or removed by means of a body-holding device. The hoisting device has an arm which, as an end-effector, supports the body and allows the user to rise from bed and lie down again. In addition, a three-point fixing mechanism is used to maintain the user’s sitting posture at a desk, and to realize an integrated self-assisted care system.