Power assist systems are usually used for rehabilitation, healthcare, and so forth.This paper puts emphasis on the use of power\r\nassist systems for object transfer and thus brings a novelty in the power-assist applications. However, the interactions between\r\nthe systems and the human users are usually not satisfactory because human features are not included in the control design. In\r\nthis paper, we present the development of a 1-DOF power assist system for horizontal transfer of objects. We included human\r\nfeatures such as weight perception in the system dynamics and control. We then simulated the system using MATLAB/Simulink\r\nfor transferring objects with it and (i) determined the optimum maneuverability conditions for object transfer, (ii) determined\r\npsychophysical relationships between actual and perceived weights, and (iii) analyzed load forces and motion features. We then\r\nused the findings to design a novel adaptive control scheme to improve the interactions between the user and the system. We\r\nimplemented the novel control (simulated the system again using the novel control), the subjects evaluated the system, and the\r\nresults showed that the novel control reduced the excessive load forces and accelerations and thus improved the human-system\r\ninteractions in terms of maneuverability, safety, and so forth. Finally, we proposed to use the findings to develop power assist\r\nsystems for manipulating heavy objects in industries that may improve interactions between the systems and the users.
Loading....