Assistive Soft Robotics and Exoskeleton for Empowering People

Human robotics technology brings out latent human capabilities and potential abilities of people. This is a research domain about the robot-assisted human motor control that synthesizes musculoskeletal biomechanics and neural control. On the other hand, soft robotics has been studied all over the world for the purpose of assistive and wearable robots to mechanically assist their movements. In order to control and support human motions, it is not enough to be only flexible, but it is also necessary to have rigidity and to switch between them in an appropriate manner. Such an attempt to combine rigidity and flexibility cannot be handled by conventional robotics theory, and we need consider a variety of mechanisms that have both rigidity and flexibility, such as functional fluid, flexible body (spring), rigid body (exoskeleton) and gas spring, rigid and superelastic body, flexible joint, and biomechanics. We conduct several researches to develop a novel robotics theory called smart mechanics. The challenges to using soft robots is not only to make their behavior accurately and efficiently enough to accomplish the given task in a reasonable amount of time, but also to control their stiffness. Referring to the human muscle-skeletal system, the integration of both hard and soft robotics technology allows us to proceed to the next step of wearable and assistive robots.<br/>An assistive device that supplements the human active movement, is expected to store mechanical energy and to release it in a timely manner. In addition, it can provide sufficient support under the physical size and weight constraints. We believe that smart mechanics, which integrates both hard and soft robotic technologies, such as a rigid skeleton and flexible muscles like the human musculoskeletal system, will dramatically improve the realization of next-generation robotic assistive devices to support people. <br/>In this talk, several case studies related to human robotics are introduced with examples of wearable robots through the design, implementation and clinical challenge. Key issue is to detect the user’s motor intention in a contingent manner with proper consistencies, and continuously adapt the behavior that vary with time. This enables the technologies to be perceived as a natural extension of the body. Following three case studies of robot assisted locomotion or care will be introduced: (i) Soft assistive robots for different applications: facial palsy, and life support for toilet independence (ii) Smart material: Smart-AFO (ankle foot orthosis) is a device to support walking by externally assisting the mechanical impedance of the ankle joint with a link mechanism using Magneto Rheological fluid attached to the orthosis. (iii) A novel personal mobility vehicle is developed for supporting and assisting people with disabled lower limbs such as elderly, and/or people with SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) or CP (Cerebral Palsy).