Prototype of Self Transfer Assist System enabling transfer from supine position

-4th Report: Improvement of the leg part supporting robot-

Abstract

In our research group, we have been conducting a research on the Self Transfer Assist Robot that realized the transfer by care receivers themselves. A prototype of the transfer assist robot was able to transfer from the sitting position to the sitting position. In this research, our interest are concentrated on the advanced research on "Self Transfer Assist System", which is capable of the transfer including the posture conversion from the supine position to sitting position. This posture conversion is carried out by collaborative work with a plurality of robots. This system consists of "the leg part support robot", "the motorized bed with body position changing function", in addition to "the transfer assist robot". In this paper, considering the load on the leg part supporting robot, we improved "the mechanism that lifts the leg support part" and "the leg support part" so that leg part supporting robot can support posture conversion of supine position to sitting position.