Article

The ability of people with disabilities to live in their homes and communities
with maximal independence often hinges, at least in part, on their ability to
transfer or be transferred by an assistant. Because of limited resources and the
expense of personal care, robotic transfer assistance devices will likely be in
great demand. An easy-to-use system for assisting with transfers, attachable to
electrical powered wheelchairs (EPWs) and readily transportable, could have a
significant positive effect on the quality of life of people with disabilities.
We investigated the stability of our newly developed Strong Arm, which is
attached and integrated with an EPW to assist with transfers. The stability of
the system was analyzed and verified by experiments applying different loads and
using different system configurations. The model predicted the distributions of
the system's center of mass very well compared with the experimental results.
When real transfers were conducted with 50 and 75 kg loads and an 83.25 kg dummy,
the current Strong Arm could transfer all weights safely without tip-over. Our modeling accurately predicts the stability of the system and is suitable for
developing better control algorithms to enhance the safety of the device.

Langue : ANGLAIS