Article

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability and functional acceptability of the
''Synthetic Autonomous Majordomo'' (SAM) robotic aid system (a mobile Neobotix
base equipped with a semi-automatic vision interface and a Manus robotic arm).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: An open, multicentre, controlled study. We included 29
tetraplegic patients (23 patients with spinal cord injuries, 3 with locked-in
syndrome and 4 with other disorders; mean SD age: 37.83 13.3) and 34 control
participants (mean SD age: 32.44 11.2). The reliability of the user interface was
evaluated in three multi-step scenarios: selection of the room in which the
object to be retrieved was located (in the presence or absence of visual control
by the user), selection of the object to be retrieved, the grasping of the object
itself and the robot's return to the user with the object. A questionnaire was
used to assess the robot's user acceptability. RESULTS: The SAM system was stable
and reliable: both patients and control participants experienced few failures
when completing the various stages of the scenarios. The graphic interface was
effective for selecting and grasping the object - even in the absence of visual
control. Users and carers were generally satisfied with SAM, although only a
quarter of patients said that they would consider using the robot in their
activities of daily living.
CI - Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS ; FRANCAIS