We have developed a Transfer Supporting Equipment mounted with Power-Assist function. In this paper, we presents a general view of this equipment and results of field tests which held at facility of aged-people. The Transfer Supporting Equipment lifts the sick and disabled from beds, and transports them to the bathroom, toilet or elsewhere. This equipment not only takes the load off nurses, but restores the mobility of the aged and disabled people. It's superb nursing capability will become invaluable to our aged society in Japan. In those tests, we got good evaluation about operability and transfer characteristics. This study was achieved under a joint commission from the Elderly Service Providers Association.

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We have introduce to you the examples of the automatic carrier system which are adapted to the catering service cart and the stretcher for the use in nursing homes.

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Transfer of the bedridden from bed to another place(wheelchair, etc.)is a very tough-job. We are developing transfer supporting bed with two separated frames.

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In consideration of nursing activities in institutions for the elderly and handicapped and at their own homes, bathing care appears as significant as other cares in excretion, meaning, and movement. It is true that bathing care does. not have such degree of urgency or mental load as experienced in excretion care, but taking a shower in daily life has a significantly refreshing effect to those elderly and handicapped to be nursed, however simple the way to take a shower may be. This reseach aims to provide an apparatus to enable those people to take a shower in institution for them in its first step, then in their own homes in its second step.

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In Japan, the birth rate of neonates with malformed ears is considerably high. Most cases are healable spontaneously or curable by mounting a suitably shaped orthosis during the neonatal period.W e have been researching computer assisted system for the treatment of anomaly of the auricle. As part of the system, we developed a database system for managing auricular images. Distinctive features are as follows: a contour of auricle can be captured easily, various measurement data of the auricle such as ear length, ear breadth, ear base length, etc., are calculated automatically from the contour and these measured data can be managed. Also by using the database system, we constructed a database that contains550auricular images of284neonates. All images were measured and statistical analyses are performed. We classified the data by sex and the 7 types of auricular shape and compared them.These types are normal ear, upper folded helix, diagonal side folded helix, side folded helix, Stahl's ear, folded lobulus auriculae and others. Finally, following results are obtained: length and breadth of male normal ears were larger than that of female normal ears; for every type of anomaly, at least one measurement item differed from that of normal ears.

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