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Article
Publication date: 17 August 2021

Rupinder Kaur Dhillon and Mahesh Sharma

The purpose of this study is to see whether the figure of eight walkings (F8W) is a reliable outcome measure in rehabilitation care especially for the older population who need…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to see whether the figure of eight walkings (F8W) is a reliable outcome measure in rehabilitation care especially for the older population who need extensive consideration in their practical functional affairs.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature review was conducted by researching various databases such as Google Scholar, Pub Med and Web of Science, Scopus. Journals with Good impact factors were included in this study.

Findings

This review suggested that F8W could be the realistic outcome measure for rehabilitation in patients with musculoskeletal and neurological dysfunctions that could identify disability and functional impairments more deeply. Future studies in this field may provide further exploration in physiotherapy rehabilitation.

Research limitations/implications

The study was a short review with limited resources. Its’ findings and outputs must be considered prelusive.

Practical implications

The accustomed routine of manhood accounts for constant twists and turns which is entirely incompatible with a linear walk. In such a manner, walking in the figure of eight could detect the major perplexity faced by an individual in his habitual pursuing affairs predominately in orthopedics and neurological disorders.

Originality/value

The study has suggested the utility of F8W as a reliable tool in the rehabilitation of the elder population, evidence suggests, F8W constitutes curvy and straight paths, which could trace troubles while turning and maintaining coordination. These results of this study can serve as a foundation for future studies.

Article
Publication date: 21 June 2011

Servet Soyguder and Hasan Alli

This study seeks to develop a novel eight‐legged robot. Additionally, this study defines design and control of an eight‐legged single actuator walking ROBOTURK SA‐2 spider robot…

Abstract

Purpose

This study seeks to develop a novel eight‐legged robot. Additionally, this study defines design and control of an eight‐legged single actuator walking ROBOTURK SA‐2 spider robot based on the features of a creatural spider.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the single actuator eight‐legged tetrapod walking spider robot was modeled on solid works and then the animation of the model was realized to ensure the accurate walking patterns and more stable walking. Based on this model, the novel prototype of the single actuator eight‐legged walking spider robot was constructed.

Findings

A novel motion mechanism uses only one actuator for driving the system.

Originality/value

The modeled single actuator eight‐legged robot is original in terms of the developed motion mechanism.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2023

Yifan Pan, Lei Zhang, Dong Mei, Gangqiang Tang, Yujun Ji, Kangning Tan and Yanjie Wang

This study aims to present a type of metamorphic mechanism-based quadruped crawling robot. The trunk design of the robot has a metamorphic mechanism, which endows it with…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to present a type of metamorphic mechanism-based quadruped crawling robot. The trunk design of the robot has a metamorphic mechanism, which endows it with excellent crawling capability and adaptability in challenging environments.

Design/methodology/approach

The robot consists of a metamorphic trunk and four series-connected three-joint legs. First, the walking and steering strategy is planned through the stability and mechanics analysis. Then, the walking and steering performance is examined using virtual prototype technology, as well as the efficacy of the walking and turning strategy.

Findings

The metamorphic quadruped crawling robot has wider application due to its variable trunk configuration and excellent leg motion space. The robot can move in two modes (constant trunk and trunk configuration transformation, respectively, while walking and rotating), which exhibits outstanding stability and adaptability in the examination and verification of prototypes.

Originality/value

The design can enhance the capacity of the quadruped crawling robot to move across a complex environment. The virtual prototype technology verifies that the proposed walking and steering strategy has good maneuverability and stability, which considerably expands the application opportunity in the fields of complicated scene identification and investigation.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 51 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2019

Xiangyu Liu, Chunyan Zhang, Cong Ni and Chenhui Lu

The purpose of this paper is to put forward a nvew reconfigurable multi-mode walking-rolling robot based on the single-loop closed-chain four-bar mechanism, and the robot can be…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to put forward a nvew reconfigurable multi-mode walking-rolling robot based on the single-loop closed-chain four-bar mechanism, and the robot can be changed to different modes according to the terrain.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the topological analysis, singularity analysis, feasibility analysis, gait analysis and the motion strategy based on motor time-sharing control, the paper theoretically verified that the robot can switch between the four motion modes.

Findings

The robot integrates four-bar walking, self-deforming and four-bar and six-bar rolling modes. A series of simulation and prototype experiment results are presented to verify the feasibility of multiple motion modes of the robot.

Originality/value

The work presented in this paper provides a good theoretical basis for further exploration of multiple mode mobile robots. It is an attempt to design the multi-mode mobile robot based on single loop kinematotropic mechanisms. It is also a kind of exploration of the new unknown movement law.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 47 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2018

Asanka G. Perera, Yee Wei Law, Ali Al-Naji and Javaan Chahl

The purpose of this paper is to present a preliminary solution to address the problem of estimating human pose and trajectory by an aerial robot with a monocular camera in near…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a preliminary solution to address the problem of estimating human pose and trajectory by an aerial robot with a monocular camera in near real time.

Design/methodology/approach

The distinguishing feature of the solution is a dynamic classifier selection architecture. Each video frame is corrected for perspective using projective transformation. Then, a silhouette is extracted as a Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG). The HOG is then classified using a dynamic classifier. A class is defined as a pose-viewpoint pair, and a total of 64 classes are defined to represent a forward walking and turning gait sequence. The dynamic classifier consists of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier C64 that recognizes all 64 classes, and 64 SVM classifiers that recognize four classes each – these four classes are chosen based on the temporal relationship between them, dictated by the gait sequence.

Findings

The solution provides three main advantages: first, classification is efficient due to dynamic selection (4-class vs 64-class classification). Second, classification errors are confined to neighbors of the true viewpoints. This means a wrongly estimated viewpoint is at most an adjacent viewpoint of the true viewpoint, enabling fast recovery from incorrect estimations. Third, the robust temporal relationship between poses is used to resolve the left-right ambiguities of human silhouettes.

Originality/value

Experiments conducted on both fronto-parallel videos and aerial videos confirm that the solution can achieve accurate pose and trajectory estimation for these different kinds of videos. For example, the “walking on an 8-shaped path” data set (1,652 frames) can achieve the following estimation accuracies: 85 percent for viewpoints and 98.14 percent for poses.

Details

International Journal of Intelligent Unmanned Systems, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-6427

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 May 2020

Jingxian Xu, Huijuan Liu, Yunyi Wang and Jun Li

This study aims to investigate the heat transfer mechanism of the uniforms used by people working in hot, humid and windy environments. Furthermore, the effectiveness of an…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the heat transfer mechanism of the uniforms used by people working in hot, humid and windy environments. Furthermore, the effectiveness of an opening structure added to the armpit of the uniforms in improving thermal comfort was comparatively examined.

Design/methodology/approach

A set of uniforms was tested with the opening at the armpit alternatively zipped or unzipped. Thermal manikin and human tests were performed in a climatic chamber simulating the specific environmental conditions, including wind speeds at four levels (0.15, 0.5, 2, 4 m/s) and relative humidities at two levels (50 and 85%). Static and dynamic thermal insulations of clothing (IT) were examined by the thermal manikin tests. The human bodies' thermal responses, including heart rates (HR), eardrum temperatures (Te), skin temperatures (Tsk) and subjective perceptions, were given by the human tests.

Findings

Special mechanisms of heat transfer in the specific uniforms used in tropical monsoon climates were revealed. Reductions on IT were caused by the movement of the human body and the environmental wind, and the empirical equations would underestimate this reduction. The opening at the armpit was able to prompt more heat transfer under dynamic condition, with reducing the IT by 11.8%, lowering the mean Tsk by 0.92°C, and significantly improving the subjective perceptions (p < 0.05). The heat exhaustion was alleviated with lowering the Te by 0.32°C.

Originality/value

This study managed to improve the thermal performance of uniforms for workers under unforgiving conditions. The evaluation and design methods introduced by this study provided practical guidance for similar products with strict dress codes and cost control requirements based on the findings from thorough product tests and analysis.

Details

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. 32 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-6222

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 January 2015

Wen Liu, Yingjun Zhang, Xuefeng Yang and Shengwei Xing

The aim of this article is to present a PIN (pedestrian inertial navigation) solution that incorporates altitude error correction, which eliminates the altitude error accurately…

1021

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this article is to present a PIN (pedestrian inertial navigation) solution that incorporates altitude error correction, which eliminates the altitude error accurately without using external sensors. The main problem of PIN is the accumulation of positioning errors due to the drift caused by the noise in the sensors. Experiment results show that the altitude errors are significant when navigating in multilayer buildings, which always lead to localization to incorrect floors.

Design/methodology/approach

The PIN proposed is implemented over an inertial navigation systems (INS) framework and a foot-mounted IMU. The altitude error correction idea is identifying the most probable floor of each horizontal walking motion. To recognize gait types, the walking motion is described with angular rate measured by IMU, and the dynamic time warping algorithm is used to cope with the different dimension samples due to the randomness of walking motion. After gait recognition, the altitude estimated with INS of each horizontal walking is checked for association with one of the existing in a database.

Findings

Experiment results show that high accuracy altitude is achieved with altitude errors below 5 centimeters for upstairs and downstairs routes in a five floors building.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of the study is the assumption that accuracy floor altitude information is available.

Originality/value

Our PIN system eliminates altitude errors accurately and intelligently, which benefits from the new idea of combination of gait recognition and map-matching. In addition, only one IMU is used which is different from other approach that use external sensors.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2019

B.M. Sayed, Mohamed Fanni, Mohamed S. Raessa and Abdelfatah Mohamed

This paper aims to design and control of a novel compact transportation system called the “wearable vehicle”. The wearable vehicle allows for traversing all types of terrains…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to design and control of a novel compact transportation system called the “wearable vehicle”. The wearable vehicle allows for traversing all types of terrains while transporting one's luggage in a comfortable and efficient manner.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed design consists of a lower limb exoskeleton carrying two motorized wheels and two free wheels installed alongside its feet. This paper presents a detailed description of the system with its preliminary design and finite element analysis. Moreover, the system has been optimally designed to decrease wearable vehicle’s total weight, consequently leading to a reduction in motor size. Finally, two controllers have been designed to achieve stable operation of the wearable vehicle while walking. A PD controller with gravity compensation has been designed to ensure that the wearable vehicle tracks human motion, while a PID controller has been designed to ensure that the zero moment point is close to the center of the system’s support polygon.

Findings

Experimental tests were carried out to check the wearable vehicle concept. The obtained results prove the feasibility of the proposed wearable vehicle from the design, dynamics and control viewpoints.

Practical implications

This proposed wearable vehicle’s purpose is for traveling faster with less effort than normal walking. When a human comes across a flat open ground, the wearable vehicle can be used as a vehicle. However, when a human enters crowded traffic, an unstructured area or other obstacles like stairs, the vehicle can be switched into walking mode.

Originality/value

The wearable vehicle has seven DOFs exoskeletons, two motorized wheels, two free wheels and a foldable seat. It is used as a vehicle via its motorized and free wheels to travel fast with minimal effort. In addition, the human can switch easily into walking mode, if there is unstructured terrain to be traversed. Furthermore, an illustration of system's mechanisms and main feature parameters are presented to become acquainted with the ultimate benefits of the new system.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 46 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2013

Chao Liu and Yan‐An Yao

The purpose of this paper is to propose a spatial six‐link RRCCRR (where R denotes a revolute joint, and C denotes a cylindric joint) mechanism to be used as the mechanism body of

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a spatial six‐link RRCCRR (where R denotes a revolute joint, and C denotes a cylindric joint) mechanism to be used as the mechanism body of a biped robot with three translations (3T) manipulation ability.

Design/methodology/approach

This biped RRCCRR mechanism can reach any position on the ground by a crawling mode or alternatively, a somersaulting mode. After the robot reaches a designated position, it can work in manipulation mode. Mobility, walking mode, kinematic and stability analyses are performed, respectively.

Findings

Based on this biped RRCCRR mechanism, a biped 3T lifter which can be used in industry is designed and analyzed. Finally, the proposed concept is verified by experiments on a prototype.

Originality/value

The work presented in this paper is one of new explorations to apply traditional spatial linkage mechanisms to the field of biped robots, and is also a new attempt to use the biped robot, that is generally used in the field of bionic robots, as a mobile manipulator robot platform in industry.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 40 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

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