Abstract
This paper describes a patient lifting arm for use on patient care robots. This device is designed to be installed on a locomotion vehicle for use in medical facilities. By changing the configuration from that of a wheel chair to a stretcher shape, when a slide plate can be inserted between the patient and the bed, it becomes possible to lift the patient. A belt-equipped slide plate construction has been employed to ensure that the patient is not subjected to any discomfort, and new functions, such as two-stage lifting action, have been added. Sensor based control provides automatic lifting of the patient while detecting the positions of the patient and the bed. In addition, for use as the sensor device, we developed a large-size two-dimensional tactile sensor using the pressure sensitive conductive rubber sheet.
