Elderly care training robot for quantitative evaluation of care operation — Development of robotic elbow joint to imitate elderly people's elbow

Abstract

In this research, we are developing a care training robot for quantitative evaluation of care operation. In this paper, we propose a care training robot and how to evaluate the care operation. The proposed robot aims to imitate elderly people body and a care worker is able to gain experience or training by using the robot. It is possible to evaluate elderly care activity quantitatively by using sensors placed on the robot's body. Therefore, the system can return accurate feedback, and it is possible to nurture a care worker who acquired effective caretaking operation efficiently. Currently, in order to develop care training robot, we are developing a robot that imitates elderly elbow joints. This elbow joint robot can simulate symptoms that are common in elderly people. In cooperation with a care worker, we measured the joint angle and the force during the improvement movement of contracture, and evaluate the availability of the proposed robot.