Demographic change is making more and more elderly people dependent on care. As a result, there are staff shortages at nursing homes, which now require technical aid.
Mobility is considered an essential component for ensuring quality of life, social contact, and a self-determined life. With the introduction of the autonomous stair-climbing wheelchair, unlimited and independent mobility is ensured for movement-limited people. Because of dynamic stabilization, the wheelchair moves on only one axis. Thereby, it has highly agile driving behavior and is compact in size. The autonomous climbing system is based on a leg mechanism that consists of two legs with lower and upper leg support. While climbing a stairway, the legs push the wheelchair on the next higher situated step. Afterwards the legs are pulled successively on to the next step as well. While climbing down, the opposite sequence of movements occurs.
The design of the geometry of a walking machine depends to a considerable extent on the applications for which the machine is intended. Nevertheless, there are some very general principles and approaches which may be applied. This paper deals with the geometric design of a hexapodal walking machine which is to prossess optimum mobility on varied terrain. This problem both illustrates, and serves as a vehicle for, the development of these general principles. Since one of the most important features of legged locomotion is the gait, the fundamental gaits of a 2N-legged (N greater than equivalent to 2) walking machine on both flat and irregular terrain are introduced first. The motion of the machine is assumed to be quasi-static. The mobility of a walking machine using these gaits, mainly centered on the hexapodal case, is then discussed.
An Adjustable Height Manual Wheelchair for a Vocational Application
Jan 1987
R L Kett
Kett, R. L. et al.: "An Adjustable Height Manual Wheelchair for a
Vocational Application": Proceedings from RESNA 10th Ann. Conf.: San
Jose, CA: 1987
Disability Consequences of Bed Rest": Handbook of Severe Disability
1981
P J Corcoran
Corcoran, P. J., : "Disability Consequences of Bed Rest": Handbook of
Severe Disability: U.S. Dept. of Education: 1981
the Climbing Universal Wheelchair: Tunkers Ind.: Rochester, MI 13. News Trends: Machine Design
Aug 1972
Phoenix
Phoenix, the Climbing Universal Wheelchair: Tunkers Ind.: Rochester,
MI
13. News Trends: Machine Design: Vol. 44, No. 12: July 27, 1972
School of Art and Design, University of Illinois at Chicago for assistance in writing this paper AUTHOR' AUTHOR' AUTHOR' AUTHOR
36
Gail Merrit
Research Assistant
Gail Merrit, Research Assistant, School of Art and Design, University of
Illinois at Chicago for assistance in writing this paper
AUTHOR'
AUTHOR' AUTHOR'
AUTHOR'S ADDRESS
S ADDRESS
S ADDRESS
S ADDRESS
Drew R. Browning, Assoc. Prof.
Director, Design Visualization Laboratory
UIC School of Art and Design m/c 036
Walking Machine Video
Feb 1984
INT J ROBOT RES
M H Raibert
Raibert, M. H.,ed.: Walking Machine Video: International Journal of
Robotics Research: Vol. 3, No. 2, 1984: Special Issue on Legged
Locomotion
26. Bak, D. J., ed.: "Three Legs Make Mobile Platform": Design News: Vol.
44, No. 4, Feb.15, 1988