This paper presents the design and control of a novel assistive robotic walker that we call "JAIST active robotic walker (JARoW)". JARoW is developed to provide potential users with sufficient ambulatory capability in an efficient, cost-effective way. Specifically, our focus is placed on how to allow easier maneuverability by creating a natural interface between the user and JARoW. For the purpose, we develop a rotating infrared sensor to detect the user's lower limb movement. The implementation details of the JARoW control algorithms based on the sensor measurements are explained, and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms is verified through experiments. Our results confirmed that JARoW can autonomously adjust its motion direction and velocity according to the user's walking behavior without requiring any additional user effort.
This paper presents a novel interactive control for our assistive robotic walker, the JAIST Active Robotic Walker (JARoW), developed for elderly people in need of assistance. The aim of our research is to recognize characteristics of the user's gait and to generate the movement of JARoW accordingly. Specifically, the proposed control enables JARoW to accurately generate the direction and velocity of its movement in a way that corresponds to the user's variable walking behaviors. The algorithm and implementation of the control are explained in detail, and the effectiveness and usability of JARoW are verified through extensive experiments in everyday environments.Index Terms-Easy maneuverability, human-robot interaction, robotic walker, walking intent, welfare robotics.
We present a new control scheme of JAIST Active Robotic Walker (JARoW) developed to provide potential users such as the elderly with sufficient ambulatory capability. Toward its practical use, we tackle JARoW's easy and reliable maneuverability by creating a natural user interface between a user and JARoW. Specifically, our focus is placed on how to realize the natural and smooth movement of JARoW despite different gait parameters of users. For this purpose, a particle filtered interface function (PFIF) is proposed to estimate and predict the locations of the user's legs and body. Then, the simple feedback motion control function adjusts the motions of JARoW corresponding to the estimation and prediction. Experimental results show that the proposed control scheme can be quite satisfactory for practical use without requiring any additional user effort.
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