SMAアクチュエータを用いた頭部回旋装置の試作と回旋実験

抄録

Pressure ulcers are diseases in which skin becomes necrotic due to poor blood flow. Postural changes are used for positive effects in prevention of pressure ulcers. However, patient position must be changed every 2 hours regardless of day or night, which is a heavy burden for both the caregiver and the patient. Therefore, we have developed a medical device that automatically conducts postural changes on the back on the head. The device rotates the head quietly and slowly by using Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators. This paper presents the design of the device and the results of the head rotation test. In the test, a mannequin was used instead of a human. From the results of the test, the designed method of rotation the head was verified and we confirmed that the rotation angle of the head was approximately 23 degrees per 30 minutes. However, we confirmed that the head was rotated at unintended timing.