Development of a physical-constraint hoodie using a mechanical element that changes the shape and rigidity by vacuum pressure

Abstract

When children undergo medical examinations and surgical operations at hospitals, they sometimes need to be held down to avoid risk of injury caused by their unwanted motions. Fixing the body to the bed places stress on the children may seem inappropriate to their guardians. To solve this problem, this study developed a hoodie that restrains the body by variable stiffness elements using particle jamming only when needed. Fixing devices that use particle jamming currently in the marketplace require changing the shape by hand to fit them around the body. The developed hoodie changes shape to fit the body and restrains body motions only by evacuating the inside air.