An upper limb motion assist system: experiments with arm models

Abstract

In developing service robots, safety should be considered carefully, since robots share the space with people who do not have technical backgrounds on the operation of robots. A powered orthosis is one of the most severe examples. We have been studying an upper limb motion assist system. The aim of the system is to help a disabled person move his/her arm by his/her own will, by hanging the arm with strings and changing the length of each string. We have built an experimental system to examine the motion obtained with this system.