A Vision-based Wireless Charging System for Robot Trophallaxis | InTechOpen, Published on: 2015-12-15. Authors: Jae-O Kim and Chanwoo Moon

Patients who stay in bed for long periods are prone to pressure sores. Pressure sores cause multiple complications and prolong hospitalization. To prevent pressure sores, the patient’s lying position must be changed continuously so that excessive pressure on any body part does not last long. In this paper, we propose a novel robotic bed to prevent the formation of pressure sores. This robotic bed is composed of multiple segments that are driven independently by brushless direct current motors and that use body pressure information for feedback control. By controlling the movement of the segments on the top of the bed with a fuzzy controller, the patient’s body pressure is kept below the reference value. Moreover, a belt-type body pressure sensor is developed herein by using force-sensing resistor technology to measure the patient’s body pressure. A bed control system composed of the main controller, a teach pendant, motor controllers, and sensors was implemented. Through real experiments, the validity of the proposed robot bed was verified, and it was confirmed that the fuzzy closed-loop controller followed the reference body pressure commands well.

Robotic horseback-riding simulators have been successfully used as a substitute for real horses in areas of therapy, riding lessons, fitness, and entertainment, and several have been developed. However, recent research has illuminated significant differences in motion, response, and feel between a real horse and a simulator, which may result in incorrect posture and muscle memory for the rider. In this study, we developed a hybrid kinematic structure horseback-riding simulator to provide more realistic motion than currently available ones. The basic system has 4 degrees of freedom and provides a base motion platform. An additional revolving system with 2 degrees of freedom is mounted on the base platform. Real horse motion data were captured, normalized, filtered, and fitted to provide the motion trajectory. Furthermore, active neck, saddle, and tail mechanisms were implemented to provide realistic simulation. For interactive horse riding, bridle and beat sensors were included to control the simulator motion and a large screen was installed for virtual reality effect. Expert tests were conducted to evaluate the developed horseback-riding system, the results of which indicated that the developed simulator was considered sufficient for riding lessons and therapeutic use.