Japanese Researchers Build Dressing-Assistive Robot for People with Disabilities

posted on Nov 07 by Guest Author in the Disability News, Technology category

Japanese researchers at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology have developed a robot capable of assisting a person with disabilities with getting dressed. Associate Professor Tomohiro Shibata and his research team built the robot, which has two arms and a monitoring device that recognizes human movement and posture. The researchers said this is the first ever robot of its kind.

The robot mimics human movements it is shown. If a person moves its arms in a manner as if it were dressing someone, the robot memorizes and and simulates the movements on the person sitting or standing in front of it. The researchers designed the robot to automatically adjust its movements whenever the person in front of it changes his or her posture.

Shibata and his team developed the robot because he was frustrated that technological advances have yet to be applied to the treatment and care for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Currently, the robot can only assist with putting on a t-shirt, but the researchers hope to expand its abilities so it can assist a person with putting on other items of clothing.

Source:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/25_17.html

Image sources:
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/technology/AJ2011102615786
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/25_17.html

Video source:
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=175399