Title :
Development of a Muscle Suit for the Upper Limb Motion Support A New Shoulder Mechanism and Posture Measurement
Author :
Kobayashi, Hiroshi ; Suzuki, Hidetoshi ; Iba, Masaya
Author_Institution :
Tokyo Univ. of Sci., Tokyo
Abstract :
A "muscle suit" that will provide muscular support for the paralyzed or those otherwise unable to move unaided is being developed as a wearable robot. The lack of a metal frame and use of McKibben artificial muscle allow the muscle suit to be lightweight, making it realistic to use in daily life. Although all motion for the upper limb by the armor-type muscle suit with the mechanical joints and hard frame is realized, shoulder joints has difficulty in smooth motion because of DOF limitation. To overcome the limitation, new link mechanism is proposed and smooth motion for shoulder is achieved.
Keywords :
handicapped aids; medical robotics; motion control; muscle; McKibben artificial muscle; armor-type muscle suit; posture measurement; shoulder mechanism; upper limb motion support; wearable robot; Actuators; Automation; Clothing; Humans; Joints; Motion measurement; Muscles; Pain; Robots; Shoulder; McKibben artificial muscle; Muscle suit; New shoulder mechanism; Posture measurement; Upper limb motion; Wearable robot;
Conference_Titel :
Automation Congress, 2006. WAC '06. World
Conference_Location :
Budapest
Print_ISBN :
1-889335-33-9
DOI :
10.1109/WAC.2006.375942