Humanoid robot as an evaluator of assistive devices

This paper presents a basic study on feasibility of usage of humanoid robots as an evaluator of assistive devices, by taking advantage of its anthropomorphic shape. In this new application humanoid are expected to help evaluation through quantitative measures, which is difficult with human subjects, and also to reduce the burden coming from ethical concerns with costly tests by human subjects. Taking a passive supportive wear “Smart Suit Lite” designed to relieve the load at lower back as an example, we have conducted pilot experiments by using the humanoid robot HRP-4C. The motion to be performed by the humanoid is obtained through retargeting technique from measured human lifting motion. The supportive effect is first estimated by simulation taking into account the mechanism of the supportive device. The experimentation of humanoid hardware brought us encouraging results on the basic feasibility of this application, as we observed a clear decrease of the torque for lifting when wearing the device as expected by the simulation.