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Machines
Special Issues
Recent Applications of Assistive Robots
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Recent Applications of Assistive Robots

A special issue of Machines (ISSN 2075-1702).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 19039

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chin-Sheng Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate Institute of Automation Technology, National Taipei University of Technology, 1, Sec. 3, Zhongxiao E. Rd. Taipei 10608, Taiwan
Interests: smart automation; intelligent robotics; intelligent motion control; machine vision; mechatronics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Tanaka Eiichiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Waseda University, Kita-kyushu, Fukuoka 808-0135, Japan
Interests: machine system design; machine design; mechanisms; machine elements; assistive engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The applications of emerging and advanced technologies in assistive robotics and the theories behind those applications are attracting much attention due to their potential to improve the quality of humans’ daily lives. Assistive robots interact with people through social interactions, physical assistance, therapy delivery, etc. This Special Issue aims to address the recent applications and related technologies in assistive robotics. We encourage the submission of technically rigorous research papers that present recent fundamental new technologies, methods and applications across all areas of assistive robotics.

This Special Issue focuses on the recent advances in assistive robots and encourages researchers to submit their outstanding work towards addressing this issue, focusing on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • The design, modeling and control of assistive robots;
  • Assistive robot navigation and SLAM;
  • Assistive robot decision making and interaction promotion;
  • Advanced assistive robotic systems for rehabilitation;
  • Advances in computational methods for assistive robots;
  • Emerging technologies for assistive robots;
  • Social impact of assistive robots;
  • Cyber–physical systems of assistive robots.

Prof. Dr. Chin-Sheng Chen
Prof. Dr. Tanaka Eiichiro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Machines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 6717 KiB  
Article
Velocity Estimation and Cost Map Generation for Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance of ROS Based AMR
by Chin S. Chen, Chia J. Lin, Chun C. Lai and Si Y. Lin
Machines 2022, 10(7), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10070501 - 22 Jun 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6950
Abstract
In the past few years, due to the growth of the open-source community and the popularity of perceptual computing resources, the ROS (Robotic Operating System)Ecosystem has been widely shared and used in academia, industrial applications, and service fields. With the advantages of reusability [...] Read more.
In the past few years, due to the growth of the open-source community and the popularity of perceptual computing resources, the ROS (Robotic Operating System)Ecosystem has been widely shared and used in academia, industrial applications, and service fields. With the advantages of reusability of algorithms and system modularity, service robot applications are flourishing via the released ROS navigation framework. In the ROS navigation framework, the grid cost maps are majorly designed for path planning and obstacle avoidance with range sensors. However, the robot will often collide with dynamic obstacles since the velocity information is not considered within the navigation framework in time. This study aims to improve the feasibility of high-speed dynamic obstacle avoidance for an ROS-based mobile robot. In order to enable the robot to detect and estimate dynamic obstacles from a first-person perspective, vision tracking and a laser ranger with an Extend Kalman Filter (EKF) have been applied. In addition, an innovative velocity obstacle layer with truncated distance is implemented for the path planner to analyze the performances between the simulated and actual avoidance behavior. Finally, via the velocity obstacle layer, as the robot faces the high-speed obstacle, safe navigation can be achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Applications of Assistive Robots)
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11 pages, 17380 KiB  
Communication
Manipulability Optimization of a Rehabilitative Collaborative Robotic System
by Giorgia Chiriatti, Alessandro Bottiglione and Giacomo Palmieri
Machines 2022, 10(6), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10060452 - 8 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2454
Abstract
The use of collaborative robots (or cobots) in rehabilitation therapies is aimed at assisting and shortening the patient’s recovery after neurological injuries. Cobots are inherently safe when interacting with humans and can be programmed in different working modalities based on the patient’s needs [...] Read more.
The use of collaborative robots (or cobots) in rehabilitation therapies is aimed at assisting and shortening the patient’s recovery after neurological injuries. Cobots are inherently safe when interacting with humans and can be programmed in different working modalities based on the patient’s needs and the level of the injury. This study presents a design optimization of a robotic system for upper limb rehabilitation based on the manipulability ellipsoid method. The human–robot system is modeled as a closed kinematic chain in which the human hand grasps a handle attached to the robot’s end effector. The manipulability ellipsoids are determined for both the human and the robotic arm and compared by calculating an index that quantifies the alignment of the principal axes. The optimal position of the robot base with respect to the patient is identified by a first global optimization and by a further local refinement, seeking the best alignment of the manipulability ellipsoids in a series of points uniformly distributed within the shared workspace. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Applications of Assistive Robots)
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19 pages, 4165 KiB  
Article
Adaptive Adjustment Strategy for Walking Characteristics of Single-Legged Exoskeleton Robots
by Zhiguo Lu, Dehong Ye, Qingcai Chen, Chong Liu, Hu Dong and Dexin Cheng
Machines 2022, 10(2), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10020134 - 14 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2696
Abstract
In order to achieve the normal walking of hemiplegic patients, this paper proposes a single-legged exoskeleton robot according to the bionics principle, and presents an adaptive adjustment strategy for walking characteristics. The least square regression analysis is used to fit the angle data [...] Read more.
In order to achieve the normal walking of hemiplegic patients, this paper proposes a single-legged exoskeleton robot according to the bionics principle, and presents an adaptive adjustment strategy for walking characteristics. The least square regression analysis is used to fit the angle data of healthy leg joints by cubic polynomials, and then the parametric design of the fitted curve is carried out to obtain the influence of the user’s stride frequency and stride length on the joint angle, so that the gait of the exoskeleton can be adjusted in real time according to the stride length and stride frequency of the healthy leg to realize normal walking. In order to verify the effectiveness of the adaptive adjustment strategy proposed in this paper, the angle of leg joints under normal gait is collected in advance. In addition, an adult male is chosen as the subject to walk on the horizontal ground wearing the single-legged exoskeleton as the experiment. The experimental results show that the designed exoskeleton is reasonable, and the adaptive adjustment strategy proposed in this paper can make the exoskeleton adapt well and follow the gait of healthy legs to achieve a more natural walking state. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Applications of Assistive Robots)
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13 pages, 3189 KiB  
Communication
Effect of Reciprocating Gait Orthosis with Hip Actuation on Upper Extremity Loading during Ambulation in Patient with Spinal Cord Injury: A Single Case Study
by Jong-Won Lee, Juhwan Bae, Hyuk-Jae Choi, Chilyong Kwon, Yoon Heo, Hyeonseok Cho and Gyoosuk Kim
Machines 2022, 10(2), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10020108 - 29 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5787
Abstract
Reciprocating gait orthosis (RGO) is a traditional passive orthosis that provides postural stability and allows for independent upright ambulation with the assistance of walking aids, such as crutches, canes, and walkers. Previous follow-up studies of patients with RGOs have indicated a high frequency [...] Read more.
Reciprocating gait orthosis (RGO) is a traditional passive orthosis that provides postural stability and allows for independent upright ambulation with the assistance of walking aids, such as crutches, canes, and walkers. Previous follow-up studies of patients with RGOs have indicated a high frequency of nonusage. One of the main reasons for avoiding the use of RGOs is the excessive upper extremity loading induced by walking aids. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hip actuation on the upper extremity loading induced by crutches when ambulating with an RGO. One female individual with a chronic complete spinal cord injury classified as ASIA A participated in this study. We compared the upper extremity loading during ambulation when individualized hip assistive forces were applied on the RGO (POWERED condition) and when wearing the RGO without actuation (RGO condition). Upper extremity loading was assessed by measuring the forces acting on the crutches. Compared with the RGO condition, the average upper extremity loading per unit distance and per unit time were lower for the POWERED condition by 15.21% (RGO: 0.307 ± 0.056 and POWERED: 0.260 ± 0.034 %bw·m−1) and by 21.19% (RGO: 0.120 ± 0.020 and POWERED: 0.094 ± 0.011 %bw·s−1), respectively. We believe that a substantial reduction in upper extremity loading during ambulation provided by hip actuation holds promise to promote long-term RGO use and enable patients with paraplegia to perform frequent and intensive rehabilitation training. As this is a single case study, subsequent studies should aim to verify this effect through a higher number of patients and to different injury levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Applications of Assistive Robots)
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