An assistive robot that enables people with amyotrophia to perform sequences of everyday activities.

Journal: Scientific reports
PMID:

Abstract

Mobile manipulation aids aim at enabling people with motor impairments to physically interact with their environment. To facilitate the operation of such systems, a variety of components, such as suitable user interfaces and intuitive control of the system, play a crucial role. In this article, we validate our highly integrated assistive robot EDAN, operated by an interface based on bioelectrical signals, combined with shared control and a whole-body coordination of the entire system, through a case study involving people with motor impairments to accomplish real-world activities. Three individuals with amyotrophia were able to perform a range of everyday tasks, including pouring a drink, opening and driving through a door, and opening a drawer. Rather than considering these tasks in isolation, our study focuses on the continuous execution of long sequences of realistic everyday tasks.

Authors

  • Annette Hagengruber
  • Gabriel Quere
    Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Wessling, 82234, Germany.
  • Maged Iskandar
    Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Münchener Str. 20, 82234 Wessling, Germany.
  • Samuel Bustamante
    Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Wessling, 82234, Germany.
  • Jianxiang Feng
    Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Oberpfaffenhofen, Wessling, 82234, Germany.
  • Daniel Leidner
    German Aerospace Center (DLR), Robotics and Mechatronics Center, Wessling, Germany.
  • Alin Albu-Schäffer
    DLR - German Aerospace Center, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
  • Freek Stulp
    Unité d'Informatique et d'Ingénierie des Systèmes, ENSTA ParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 828 bd des Maréchaux, 91762 Palaiseau cedex, France; FLOWERS Research Team, INRIA, Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: freek.stulp@ensta-paristech.fr.
  • Jorn Vogel