Design and Control of Surface Wave Distributed Actuators forTransporting the Bedridden

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This research explores a new two-dimensional distributed actuator system for transporting a human body on a flat, compliant surface by generating periodic waves on a bed surface. An array of fiber actuators made of NiTi Shape- memory alloy (SMA) are woven into a bed mattress, and periodic surface waves are created by coordinating the SMA fiber actuators that move the individual coil springs in both vertical and horizontal directions. This active surface system allows transfer of a bedridden patient between a bed and a chair without lifting the patient. It also provides assistance to the patient for changing his/her position or posture in the bed to prevent bedsores. In this project, kinematic and static behavior of the active surface system interacting with the human body will be analyzed; optimal wave forms for transporting the human body comfortably and efficiently will be obtained; control algorithms for moving the human body and changing its posture will be developed based on the estimate of the body posture; and the design and control guidelines for reducing the complexity of the distributed actuator system will be addressed.