Evaluation of utility of the “Arm-Balancer” arm support system

As modern society becomes increasingly more elderly, developing specialized equipment to help assist this growing population in everyday tasks becomes more and more important. Here we have developed a passive gravity balanced arm support system called the "Arm-Balancer". It was designed to assist the arm motion of elderly people with disabilities. The objective of this study is to determine the utility of the "Arm-Balancer". We will evaluate the effect of this device on the arm muscle tension of the user. The "Arm-Balancer" is supported by a gas spring to eliminate gravity and may be attached to a chair, a bed or used on the floor when attached to the "Tatami Mat" seat. The "Arm-Balancer" consists of a two-segment exoskeleton designed for the users upper arm and forearm. The links are made from stainless steel rods whose lengths are designed to parallel the lengths of the users upper arm and forearm. The upper arm segment is telescopic so the length can be adjusted to the size of the users. Driving the evaluation we determined that the "Arm Balancer" had an assistive force of 10N to the arm and 5N to the wrist. Some elderly people with disabilities were receptive to the "Arm Balancer" while others were ambivalent.