Ian Lalonde

Mr. Ian Lalonde

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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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14 February 2025 in Actuators
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ILIan Lalonde
Ian Lalonde
JDJeff Denis
Jeff Denis
MLMathieu Lamy
Mathieu Lamy
Alexandre GirardAlexandre Girard
Alexandre Girard
Patient transfer devices allow for passive movement of patients in hospitals and care centers. Instead of hoisting the patient, it would be beneficial in some cases to assist their movement, enabling them to move by themselves and reducing hospitalization time. However, patient assistance requires devices capable of precisely controlling output forces at significantly higher speeds than those used for patient transfers alone, and a single-motor solution would be over-sized and would show poor efficiency for accomplishing both functions. This paper presents a ceiling robot, using a dual-motor actuator and adapted control schemes, that can be used to transfer patients, assist patients in their movement, and help prevent falls. The prototype is shown to be able to lift patients weighing up to 318 kg and to assist a patient with a desired force of up to 100 kg with a precision of 7.8%. Also, a smart control scheme to manage falls is shown to be able to stop a patient who is falling by applying a desired deceleration.