Stair climbing

About: Stair climbing is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1610 publications have been published within this topic receiving 30504 citations.

Parameter acqusition system and method during stair climbing of four-tentacle tracked robot

Abstract: The invention discloses a parameter acqusition system and method during stair climbing of a four-tentacle tracked robot. The system comprises a four-tentacle tracked robot platform and a Microsoft KinectXBOX360 camera carried on the platform. The method comprises the following steps: fusing an RGB (Red, Green and Blue) image and depth image information acquired by the Microsoft KinectXBOX360 camera and calculating related parameters of a stairs so as to control the four-tentacle tracked robot to perform stair climbing action. The embodiment of the invention is mainly used for parameter calculation of the stairs, particularly controlling the postures of four tentacles during stair climbing of the four-tentacle tracked robot.

Stair climbing of an articulated mobile robot via sequential shift

Abstract: This paper presents a sequential stair climbing method for an articulated mobile robot. The robot has active wheeled links connected by active rotational joints. In the method, some parts of the robot's body defined as a connecting part are used to step over risers in stairs, and the robot climbs up stairs by shifting the connecting parts from forward to backward. A condition on which the robot can climb stairs by the proposed method is presented. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Conceptual design of a lower limb exoskeleton actuated by shape memory alloys for assisting elderly people in stair climbing

Abstract: Since interest in exoskeletons and active orthoses has been growing in recent years, optimal design and weight reduction of such systems was one of the main concerns of researchers. This study's purpose is to develop a lower limb exoskeleton for assisting elderly people in stair climbing. To this end, using shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators was under focus. As the first step of the research, in this paper, a conceptual design of such a light weight wearable robot was studied. Through the analysis implemented in Matlab and verified through ADAMS, benefits in addition to weaknesses of system are elaborated. It is shown that using such system would be helpful for special people.

Assessment of Physical Work Demands of Home Care Workers in Norway: An Observational Study Using Wearable Sensor Technology

Abstract: Abstract Objectives High physical work demands are believed to be partly responsible for the high sickness absence among home care workers, but no studies have assessed their physical work demands using precise device-based measurements. Hence, the objective of this observational study was to assess physical work demands in home care, using wearable sensors. Methods From six home care units in a large municipality in Norway, 114 of 195 eligible home care workers filled in a questionnaire, a diary about work hours, and wore five accelerometers, and a heart rate sensor for up to six consecutive workdays. Results On average, the homecare workers spent 50% of the working hours sitting, 25.2% standing, 11.4% moving, 8.3% walking fast, 1.9% walking slow, 1.2% stair-climbing, 0.3% cycling, and 0.05% running. We found the following exposures to demanding postures: arm-elevation in an upright body position ≥30° was 36.7%, ≥60° was 4.1%, and ≥90°was 0.5%; forward trunk inclination in an upright body position ≥30° was 9.9%, ≥60° was 4%, and ≥90° was 1%; and for kneeling it was 0.8%. We found the average cardiovascular load (%heart rate reserve) during work to be 28%. There was considerable individual variation in these physical exposures at work. Conclusions This study presents precise information on various physical work demands of home care workers in Norway. Home care workers spent on average half the workday sitting and the remaining time in various occupational physical activities. Presently, few device-based exposure limits have been proposed for acceptable amounts of occupational physical exposures, but the level of arm-elevation, forward trunk inclination, and the considerable variation of physical workloads among home care workers, indicate that preventive measures should be taken.