Abstract
In Japan, the aging of society and the decline in the youth population are serious problems. In this situation, many researchers have been focusing on power-assist technologies to make nursing care equipment and facilities more safe and human-friendly than other automated devices. In this paper, we suggest a new power-assisted lift that utilizes the safety mechanism of a clutch-type actuator. In this study, we developed a high-performance magnetorheological fluid (MR fluid) clutch, and applied it to the power-assisted lift. After considering the design of conventional lifts, we developed a control method to assist both the lifting action and the lowering action. Using our system and control method, we conducted assist-control for up-down motion with a 10-kgf -weight. The results show that this system can produce safe and stable assist-motions.
