Stretching their reach: Robotic support for domestic activities for older individuals with mobility limitations

扩大影响范围：机器人为行动不便的老年人提供家庭活动支持

• 批准号: 10258084
• 负责人: Aaron Edsinger
• 金额: $ 25.61万
• 依托单位: HELLO ROBOT INC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-15 至 2022-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10258084
• 关键词: Adoption; Age; American; Articular Range of Motion; Caregiver Burden; Characteristics; Data; Development; Elderly; Environment; Funding; Goals; Home; Home environment; Household; Individual; Instruction; Internet; Interview; Joystick; Learning; Literature; Manuals; Methods; Phase; Process; Protocols documentation; Quality of life; Research; Research Priority; Retrieval; Risk; Robot; Robotics; Safety; Self Care; Self Efficacy; Self-Help Devices; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Stretching; System; Task Performances; Technology; Testing; Training; Voice; age related; aging in place; arm; base; cost; design; disability; fall risk; feasibility testing; functional independence; human-robot interaction; implementation protocol; improved; informal care; light weight; physical conditioning; preference; prototype; robot control; tool; touchscreen; web interface

Abstract This Phase I SBIR proposal submitted by Hello Robot requests funds to develop a robot that will support older adults with mobility limitations. Nearly 16 million older Americans have a mobility disability and often need support for domestic activities including self-care and household activities. Personal robots have tremendous potential to augment individual capabilities, support independence, enable functional activities, and reduce falls risk. To-date, there are no commercially available robots designed specifically for needs and capabilities of older adults that are affordable, safe, and effective for use in homes. The StretchTM robot is designed to support everyday activities through use of a lightweight telescoping arm mounted on a mobile base. The robot could be teleoperated by a user through a touchscreen, web browser, joystick, or voice command. Stretch is a functioning research robot prototype. To attain full functionality to support older adults with mobility limitations, we need to identify the specific characteristics of the tasks for which older adults need support in their homes; design the tools that enable Stretch to effectively perform the activities; and design an easy-to-use interface that these older adults can use to control Stretch to carry out their desired tasks. This Phase I proposal supports the NIA SBIR research priority on Aging in Place to develop robotics that promote independence through mitigation of age-related physical health challenges. We propose to design and test a suite of activities that Stretch can perform, with ease of control by older adults, to support independence, enhance safety, and improve quality of life. The proposal has three broad aims: Aim 1: Identify support needs of older adults with mobility limitations and technical requirements for Stretch. This aim will yield detailed specifications of the activities for which older adults with mobility disabilities need support as well as the technical design needs. Aim 2: Develop Stretch tools and interaction methods for a priority set of home tasks. Based on findings from Aim 1, we will select a suite of high priority tasks for development in Aim 2 and direct user testing in Aim 3. In Aim 2, we will develop functioning prototypes and refine the control interface features to support ease of use and reliability for the human-robot interaction. We will identify use challenges to guide user instructions and training protocols. This aim will yield a suite of task capabilities for Stretch as well as implementation protocols for testing with older adults with mobility limitations. Aim 3: Test feasibility of Stretch use by older adults in a home environment. We will use a participatory design approach to assess the ability of older adults with mobility limitations to control the robot to achieve the target tasks in a simulated home environment. We will make adjustments as use challenges or robot inefficiencies are identified. This aim will provide feasibility data to inform a functional, usable, useful, supportive robot system that enables the autonomy of older individuals with mobility limitations in their homes. The Stretch robot has tremendous potential to support everyday home activities, increasing autonomy and increased quality of life.

摘要 Hello Robot提交的第一阶段SBIR提案要求资金开发一种支持老年人的机器人， 行动不便的成年人。近1600万美国老年人有行动障碍， 支持家庭活动，包括自我照顾和家务活动。个人机器人拥有巨大的 增强个人能力、支持独立性、实现职能活动和减少福尔斯的潜力 风险到目前为止，还没有专门为机器人的需求和能力而设计的商用机器人。 老年人负担得起，安全，有效地在家中使用。StretchTM机器人旨在 通过使用安装在移动的底座上的轻型伸缩臂来支持日常活动。机器人 可以由用户通过触摸屏、网络浏览器、操纵杆或语音命令来远程操作。拉伸是一种 研究机器人原型为了获得支持行动不便的老年人的全部功能， 我们需要确定老年人在家中需要支持的任务的具体特点; 设计使Stretch能够有效执行活动的工具;并设计易于使用的界面 这些老年人可以用来控制Stretch来完成他们想要的任务。第一阶段提案 支持NIA SBIR研究重点“就地老龄化”，以开发促进独立性的机器人技术 缓解与年龄相关的身体健康挑战。我们建议设计和测试一套活动 Stretch可以执行，易于老年人控制，以支持独立，增强安全性， 提高生活质量。该提案有三大目标：目标1：确定老年人的支助需求 移动限制和Stretch的技术要求。这一目标将产生详细的规格 行动不便的老年人需要支持的活动以及技术设计 需求目标2：为优先级设置的家庭任务开发拉伸工具和交互方法。基于 根据目标1的发现，我们将选择一套高优先级的任务用于目标2的开发和直接用户测试 目标3。在目标2中，我们将开发功能原型，并改进控制界面功能，以支持 人机交互的易用性和可靠性。我们将确定使用挑战，以指导用户 指导和培训协议。这一目标将为Stretch提供一套任务功能， 用于对行动不便的老年人进行测试的实施方案。目标3：测试的可行性 老年人在家庭环境中伸展运动。我们将采用参与式设计方法来评估 行动不便的老年人在模拟环境中控制机器人完成目标任务的能力 家庭环境。我们将在发现使用挑战或机器人效率低下时进行调整。这一目标 将提供可行性数据，以告知功能，可用，有用，支持机器人系统，使 老年人在家中行动不便的自主权。Stretch机器人具有巨大的 支持日常家庭活动的潜力，增加自主性和提高生活质量。

项目成果

The Design of Stretch: A Compact, Lightweight Mobile Manipulator for Indoor Human Environments.

Stretch 的设计：适用于室内人体环境的紧凑、轻型移动机械手。

• DOI: 10.1109/icra46639.2022.9811922
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation : ICRA : [proceedings]. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
• 作者: Kemp,CharlesC;Edsinger,Aaron;Clever,HenryM;Matulevich,Blaine
• 通讯作者: Matulevich,Blaine