A passive guidance system for a robotic walking assistant using brakes

Abstract

Abstract-Robotic walkers are a promising techological direction to improve the mobility of older adults. In this paper, we propose a guidance mechanism based on the differential actions of two brakes located on the rear wheels. The guidance problem can be seen as a complex dynamic path following problem, with limited control authority in the actuators and with important constraints on the user comfort. We cast the problem into an optimisation framework and propose a computationally efficient solution that can be implemented on low cost devices with limited computing power. Simulation results are presented to validate the proposed approach.

A Power-Assisted Cart with the Optimal Assistance Ratio and Disturbance Observer-Based Methods for Walking Assistance Applications

“…Thus, there were 6 × 4 = 24 combinations of the assistance ratios and walking speeds for each surface, and five trials were conducted for each combination. Subsequently, the operational efficiency for each trial was calculated using (9). Figure 7 shows the operational efficiency for the experimental trials of one subject on the indoor, tile, and sand surfaces.…”

“…An active robotic walker called "JARoW" has been proposed to adjust its motion direction and velocity to the user by using IR sensors [8]. Fontanelli et al [9] proposed a guidance mechanism for a walking robotic assistant based on the use of differential braking, while Ko et al [10] designed a control method for a walking assistance robot for outdoor guidance that enabled movement on flat ground and up and down slopes.…”

A walking assistant using brakes and low cost sensors

“…On the other side passive walkers through the adoption of sensors and sometimes brakes in the wheels, guide the users to their desired route leaving them the responsibility of the motion. Previous work concerning the adoption of brakes for guidance of the trajectory have been reported in [6], where expensive servo brakes and laser scanners are used and in [7], where a detailed study of the trajectory control by brakes is described.…”

When Helbing meets Laumond: The Headed Social Force Model

“…In these circumstances, unicycle-like models are a good approximation of realworld human locomotion. For instance, unicycle kinematics is especially accurate whenever pedestrians rely on wheeled assistive aids, such as smart walkers [14]. In certain situations, however, sideward motions violating nonholonomic constraints do emerge quite naturally in practice.…”