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Sit-to-stand is a common activity in daily life. It is difficult for the elderly and patients with lower limb disorders to complete this motion due to limb pain, muscle weakness, partial loss of motor control function, and physical defects in joints. An STS assistive device is a piece of automated medical equipment that can facilitate rehabilitation training for patients with lower limb disorders and improve their lower limb function. In this paper, we introduce a 3-DOF series type STS assistive device. First, we selected 26 healthy adults to carry out an STS transfer experiment, and we obtained the trajectory and velocity of each joint and the law of plantar pressure during STS motion. Second, based on the above kinematics and dynamics law, a 3-DOF series mechanism was designed. Through forward and inverse kinematics analysis, the relationship between the end-effector and the linear actuator was established. The trajectory planning of the end-effector was carried out according to the natural STS transfer trajectory, and the law of the linear actuator was obtained. The trajectory planning was verified by ADAMS. Finally, the Arduino controller was used to build the control system of the STS assistive device, and the prototype experiment was carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing and addressing the problems faced by the differently abled people such as visually, audibly and vocally challenged, through a single device is a tough job. A lot of research has been done on each problem and solutions have been proposed separately. But not all of them are addressed together. The aim of the project is to create a single device solution in such a way that is simple, fast, accurate and cost-effective. The main purpose of the device is to make the differently abled people, feel independent confident by seeing, hearing and talking for them. The paper provides a Google API and Raspberry Pi based aid for the blind deaf and dumb people. The proposed device enables visually challenged people to read by taking an image. Further, Image to text conversion and speech synthesis is done, converting it into an audio format that reads out the extracted text translating documents, books and other available materials in daily life. For the audibly challenged, the input is in form of speech taken in by the microphone and recorded audio is then converted into text which is displayed in the form of a pop-up window for the user in the screen of the device. The vocally impaired are aided by taking the input by the user as text through the built-in customized on-screen keyboard where the text is identified, text into speech conversion is done and the speaker gives the speech output. This way the device speaks for the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the development of statically balanced spatial parallel platform mechanisms. A mechanism is statically balanced if its potential energy is constant for all possible configurations. This property is very convenient for robotic manipulators with large constant payloads, since it means that the mechanism is statically stable for any configuration, i.e., zero actuator torques are required whenever the manipulator is at rest. Furthermore, only inertial forces and moments have to be sustained while the manipulator is moving. This makes it possible to create passive devices that can assist humans to manipulate a heavy load, and to create robotic manipulators that require smaller actuators and/or consume less energy. Furthermore, by retrofitting existing machine tools, static deflection problems due to gravitational loads may be reduced. This paper (1) summarizes how static balancing can be implemented in a parallel manipulator with six degrees of freedom, (2) presents the design of a small-scale prototype, and (3) discusses general implementation issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Stable walking is problematical for many Parkinson''s disease (PD) patients, sometimes experienced as “Freezing of Gait” (FOG), a brief interruption of their natural walking rhythm usually limited to advanced stages of PD. Visual cues have been found to reduce FOG so that patients are able to continue their walking without interruption, thereby reducing falls. This study assessed the difference in the impact on FOG with a group of PD patients receiving visual cues from an innovative “laser cane” and with a traditional cane with no cues. Methods: This study of 30 PD patients compares the impact on FOG of a cane that provided visual cues from a laser beam with a cane providing no cues during both ‘on’ and ‘off’ responses to medications. For each test the individual subjects were videotaped walking two rounds on a 5-meter track and their footsteps were printed on paper tracking sheets. Results: The visual cues of the laser beam cane significantly increased both stride length and velocity during the ‘off’ medication period in all of the participating patients. Greater improvements of the gait parameters were experienced in PD patients with the moderate stage (H & Y=3) (17 patients) than those in the mild stage (H & Y=2) (13 patients); with the biggest differences in reduced FOG and increased stride length. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that an effective, low-cost intervention can be designed and implemented in low and middle-income countries for solving the problem of FOG in PD patients using locally available technology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]