Standing mobility vehicle with passive exoskeleton assisting voluntary postural changes

Abstract

This study proposes a novel personal mobility vehicle for supporting and assisting people with disabled lower limbs. The developed mobile platform is capable of assisting voluntary postural transition between standing and sitting, called the Passively Assistive Limb (PAL) mechanism, in addition to high mobility with upright posture. The device consists of gas-spring-powered passive exoskeleton for postural support and two in-wheel motors for mobility support. The developed robot system allows a user to sit down on chairs and beds, and stand up through easy operations. In addition, a user can move the system in the standing posture without using their hands. In this paper, the development and assessments of the standing mobility vehicle are described.