Development and Human Performance Evaluation of Control Modes of a Lightweight Smart-Assistive Robotic Arm (SARA)
By Khalid, Umer; Erlandson, Robert F.; Cao, Alex; Brown, Vince; Pandya, Abhilash K.; RESNA/ICTA 2011: Advancing Rehabilitation Technologies for an Aging Society, June 5-8, 2011, Toronto, Canada,Publication Date: 2011
Paper outlines the development of a voice activated, ultra lightweight mechatronic reach-assist device for a client with limited upper limb strength and mobility following spinal cord injury. The design of the Smart-Assistive Robotic Arm (SARA) incorporates a commercial manual reacher-gripper. The end-effectors of the device are flexible rubber suction cups. A Velcro strap secures the device to the user’s forearm. The manual trigger mechanism used for opening and closing the gripper was replaced by an electric linear actuator linked to the band springs which are attached to the suction cup forming the gripper. A voice recognition chip identifies three simple voice commands: (1) Max, a keyword that initializes the system and allows the chip to await further commands; (2) close, which closes the gripper by activating the linear actuator; and (3) open, which opens the gripper by releasing the linear actuator. The battery operated prototype was tested with the client and demonstrated the essential feasibility and usefulness of the device. Future directions for the further development of the SARA are discussed.
Published by: Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) (Website:http://www.resna.org)
Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) (Web Site: http://www.resna.org )
Link to text: http://web.resna.org/conference/proceedings/2011/RESNA_ICTA/khalid-69690.pdf
