New gel-based robotics gives artificial muscles a boost
A research team collaborated to design a wearable robotic device that supports a person’s hip joints while they walk. The team led by Minoru Hashimoto, professor of textile technology and science at Shinshu University, Japan, has published details of its prototype in Smart Materials and Structures. This journal is published by the Institute of Physics.
As society ages, more and more elderly people are suffering from disabilities such as strokes. \”Various technologies, robots, and devices are emerging to help caregivers,\” wrote Hashimoto. He noted that many technologies designed to assist with walking can be cumbersome for the user. \”[In] our current study, [we] tried to develop a lightweight and soft wearable assistive wear that would support activities of daily living for older people who have weakened muscles or mobility issues.
The wearable system is made up of plasticized PVC gel, mesh electrodes and voltage. When voltage is applied to the mesh electrodes, the gel contracts and flexes like a muscular. Wearable actuators are the mechanisms that cause movement.
Source:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180110101016.htm
