• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.37-38
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• 2008

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.393-400
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• 2015

This paper describes the development of a chest-wearable robot that can efficiently perform self walking rehabilitation without a helper. The features of the developed robot are divided into three parts. First, as a mechanical characteristic, the conventional elbow crutch is attached at the forearm. However, the proposed robot is attached to the patient's chest, enabling them to feel free to use their hands and eliminate the burden of the arms. Second, as a characteristic of the driving algorithm, pressure sensors attached to the chest automatically perceive the patient's walking intention and move the robot-leg thereafter. Also, for safety, it stops operating when an obstacle is found in front of the patient by using ultrasonic sensors and generates a beeping sound. Finally, by using the scotch yoke mechanism, supporting legs are moved up and down using a rotary servo motor without excessive torque that is generated by large ground reaction forces. We showed that the developed robot can effectively perform self walking rehabilitation through walking experiments, and its performance was verified using Electromyograph (EMG) sensors.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.186-192
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• 2014

This study presents the remote control of a board robot using an IMU sensor based on Bluetooth communication. The board robot is a kind of riding robot controlled throng wireless communication by a user. The user wears the proposed IMU sensor controller, and changes a direction of the robot by the angles of IMU sensor. Bluetooth is used for wireless communication between the board robot and its user. The IMU sensor in the remote controller is used for recognition of a number of actions, which are measured as analog signals. The user actions have five commands ('1'right '2'neutrality '3'left '4'operation '5'stop), which are transmitted from the user to the board robot through Bluetooth communication. Experimental results show that proposed IMU interface can effectively control the board robot.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.781-788
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• 2013

In this paper, we introduce a quadruped robot-based alarm system for monitoring the emergency situation due to falling in the elderly. Quadruped robot includes the FPGA Board(Field Programmable Gate Array) applying a red-color tracking algorithm. To detect a falling of the elderly, a sensor node is worn on chest and accelerations and angular velocities measured by the sensor node are transferred to quadruped robot, and then the emergency signal is transmitted to manager if a fall is detected. Manager controls the robot and then he judges the situation by monitoring the real-time images transmitted from the robot. If emergency situation is decided by the manager, he calls 119. When the fall detection system using only sensor nodes is used, sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 98.98% were measured. Using the combination of the fall detection system and portable camera (robot), the emergency situation was detected to 100 %.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.89-99
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• 2017

This paper describes the development of a thigh wearable robot for power assistance during stair climbing. In the wearable robot developed in this study, high-power BLDC motors and high-capacity harmonic reduction gears are used to effectively assist the thigh muscle during stair climbing. In particular, normal ground and stair are distinguished accurately by using wireless smart shoes, and the stair climbing assistance is performed by activating the actuators at an appropriate time. Impedance of the hip joint was effectively reduced by performing friction compensation of the gears, and a wearing adjustment mechanism was designed to fit the robot to the thigh by conveniently modifying the width and tilting angle of the robot using set collars. Consequently, the performance of the developed thigh wearable robot was verified through stair climbing experiments with EMG measurement.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.132-143
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• 2017

While working in an industrial environment which requires extended periods of upright posture; workers tend to develop muscle fatigue due to the constant load on lower-limb muscles. In addition, when working while bending knees; muscle fatigue of lower back and hamstrings is increased due to the abnormal posture. This can lead to damage of muscles, induce musculoskeletal disorders, and reduce long-term working efficiency. Recent medical studies have shown that long-term working in an upright posture can induce musculoskeletal disorders such as foot fatigue, edema, pain and varicose veins. Likewise, medical and rehabilitation expenses have grown due to the increase in musculoskeletal conditions suffered by workers. For this problem, we aim to develop a device that can reduce the physical fatigue on the lower limbs by supporting the weight of workers during the extended periods of upright and bending postures in the industrial environments. In this paper, we have designed and manufactured a wearable weight support system; with a user intention algorithm that the users can maintain various postures. For validation of the developed system, we measured the muscle activity of the users wearing the system with EMG sensors.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.667-685
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• 2022

This paper aims to investigate 4D printing materials for soft robots. 4D printing is a targeted evolution of the 3D printed structure in shape, property, and functionality. It is capable of self-assembly, multi-functionality, and self-repair. In addition, it is time-dependent, printer-independent, and predictable. The shape-shifting behaviors considered in 4D printing include folding, bending, twisting, linear or nonlinear expansion/contraction, surface curling, and generating surface topographical features. The shapes can shift from 1D to 1D, 1D to 2D, 2D to 2D, 1D to 3D, 2D to 3D, and 3D to 3D. In the 4D printing auxetic structure, the kinetiX is a cellular-based material design composed of rigid plates and elastic hinges. In pneumatic auxetics based on the kirigami structure, an inverse optimization method for designing and fabricating morphs three-dimensional shapes out of patterns laid out flat. When 4D printing material is molded into a deformable 3D structure, it can be applied to the exoskeleton material of soft robots such as upper and lower limbs, fingers, hands, toes, and feet. Research on 4D printing materials for soft robots is essential in developing smart clothing for healthcare in the textile and fashion industry.