Design of patient lifting device based on the use of a worm gears mechanism in the protection of the caregiver

Abstract

Subject: Using an assistive device for lifting and moving patients from bed is increasingly becoming a widespread demand. Purpose: The focus of most of the studies is on robotics and powered assistive devices to lift the patient. We have focused on the development of an assistive lifting system based on the manual lift and using the worm gear mechanism, which has not been studied before. The features of this device are low cost and high efficiency in using hand force as the patient lifts. Materials and methods: Conceptual design of this assistive device and analysis of the worm gear mechanism with the help of SolidWorks software. We studied the selective effect of the ratio of the teeth of worm and worm gear in the device's operation lift system. Results: A comparison of lead screw and worm gear was performed. Using a worm gear lift can show a reduced torque of up to 66% compared to a traditional lead screw lift. This indicates the use of less caregiver force to lift the patient. Conclusions: Low cost and high efficiency are the features of this mobility assistive device. Developing this device can be used at home because of the simplicity of the patient's lifting system and displacement.