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Self-Wearing Adaptive Garments via Soft Robotic Unfurling
Kim, Nam Gyun, Heap, William E., Qin, Yimeng, Yao, Elvy B., Ryu, Jee-Hwan, Okamura, Allison M.
--Robotic dressing assistance has the potential to improve the quality of life for individuals with limited mobility. Existing solutions predominantly rely on rigid robotic manipulators, which have challenges in handling deformable garments and ensuring safe physical interaction with the human body. Prior robotic dressing methods require excessive operation times, complex control strategies, and constrained user postures, limiting their practicality and adaptability. This paper proposes a novel soft robotic dressing system, the Self-Wearing Adaptive Garment (SW AG), which uses an unfurling and growth mechanism to facilitate autonomous dressing. Unlike traditional approaches, the SW AG conforms to the human body through an unfurling-based deployment method, eliminating skin-garment friction and enabling a safer and more efficient dressing process. We present the working principles of the SW AG, introduce its design and fabrication, and demonstrate its performance in dressing assistance. The proposed system demonstrates effective garment application across various garment configurations, presenting a promising alternative to conventional robotic dressing assistance. RESSING is a fundamental activity of daily living that directly impacts independence and quality of life. For individuals with physical disabilities, the elderly, and those recovering from injuries, dressing can be a significant challenge [1]. The inability to dress independently often leads to a loss of autonomy, increased reliance on caregivers, and a diminished sense of dignity.
- Asia > South Korea > Daejeon > Daejeon (0.04)
- North America > United States > California (0.04)