DEVELOPMENT OF POWERED SUIT FOR ASSISTING NURSE CARRING PATIENT

本项目研制的电动套装是为了在患者的连续支撑手术中支撑值班护士的肌肉力量。动力套装由肩膀、手臂、腰部和腿部组成，安装在护士身上，将力量直接传递到护士的手臂、腰部和腿部。电动套装源于主从一体的概念，开发了4种用于检测护士手臂、腰部和腿部运动的传感器，即传感袖带、应变计、导电橡胶制成的应变传感器和气动肌肉硬度传感器。研制了两种用于肘关节、腰部和膝部关节旋转的旋转执行器，即气动橡胶管旋转执行器和气动滑箱旋转执行器。该气动执行器具有结构简单、体积小、重量轻、触感柔和可实现平稳运动等优点，实验证明，采用滑盒旋转执行器和肌肉传感器构成的动力服是可行的，可以作为实际装备的样机。

Powered suit developed in this project is to support muscular force of a attendant nurse in the sepuential operation of holding up and down of a patient. The powered suit consists of shoulders, arms, waist and legs, and is fitted on the nurse to transmit the force directly to the arms, waist and legs of the nurse. The powered suit is originated with the concept of master and slave system in one body.Four kinds of sensors to detect the motion of the arms, waist and legs of the nurse were developed, i.e., a sensing cuff, a strain gauge, a strain sensor made with conductive rubber and a pneumatic muscle hardness sensor. Two kinds of rotary actuator to rotate the joins of the elbow, waist and knee were developed, i.e., pneumatic rubber tube rotary actuator and pneumatic sliding boxes rotary actuator. These pneumatic actuators have the advantages of simple structure, compact size, light weight, has possibility to realize smooth movement with tender touch.Experiments proved that the powered suit using the sliding boxes rotary actuators and the muscle sensors has feasibility and is able to be adopted as the prototype for practical equipment.