Design of robotic devices to assist persons with disabilities

The number of persons age 65 and older will increase dramatically in the next 2 decades and by 2030 this group will comprise 20% of the U.S. population. Since the incidence of disability increases with age, there will be an increased need for robotic assistive devices. The design process for robotic assistive devices differs significantly from the design of autonomous robots. This paper reviews the human-center design process for the design of assistive devices including the importance of the user interface and allocation of function between the user and the robot. A number of case studies are presented that illustrate different aspects of this design process.