Abstract
A power assist system is operated by a human operator, so it is very important to consider the human element in the control loop. In order to evaluate the performance of the power assist system in the design process, usage of simulation, which includes the human factor, is quite effective. In this study simulation of a pneumatic hand crane for work support is developed for system design. The mathematical model of the hand crane consists of the pneumatic cylinder model, link model of the crane and controller, which includes the human model, in order that the hand crane is operated passively by operation force. The validity of the simulation was examined by comparison with measurements results of the operation force and acceleration, and thus performance of the hand crane is evaluated.
