Title :
A muscle suit for muscular support realization of all motion for the upper limb
Author :
Kobayashi, Hiroshi ; Suzuki, Hidetoshi ; Hayashi, Tetsuya
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mechanical Eng., Science Univ. of Tokyo, Japan
Abstract :
A "muscle suit" that provides muscular support for the paralyzed or those otherwise unable to move unaided is 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. The basic concept and the structure of the muscle suit are shown in this paper in order to realize all motion for the upper limb. The basic working principle is based on the patent (#2003-091280). The expected market with business model is shown in this paper.
Keywords :
artificial limbs; handicapped aids; motion control; robots; McKibben artificial muscle; muscle suit; muscular support; upper limb motion; wearable robot; Actuators; Clothing; Humans; Mechanical engineering; Muscles; Open loop systems; Rehabilitation robotics; Robots;
Conference_Titel :
Robotics and Automation, 2004. TExCRA '04. First IEEE Technical Exhibition Based Conference on
Conference_Location :
Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8564-0
DOI :
10.1109/TEXCRA.2004.1424995
