Eline Blaauw

About

Eline Blaauw is a researcher dedicated to improving the safety and dignity of patient handling, with a primary focus on robotic-assisted transfer systems. Her work sits at the intersection of rehabilitation engineering, human-robot interaction, and occupational health, addressing the critical challenge of reducing caregiver injury while ensuring patient comfort. Blaauw's major contribution is the rigorous evaluation of novel robotic-assisted transfer devices (RATDs) compared to traditional mechanical lifts. Her landmark paper, a literature review on person transfer assist systems (2019, 46 citations), provides a foundational taxonomy of emerging technologies. She has since led comparative usability and biomechanics studies, including a 2020 study (14 citations) that quantified task load differences between a RATD and a mechanical floor lift, and a subsequent work (6 citations) that used electromyography to show that the Strong Arm RATD can reduce muscle activation in caregivers during dependent transfers. By combining objective physiological data with subjective user feedback, Blaauw’s research provides essential evidence for the adoption of robotics in clinical care, directly informing the design of safer, more intuitive assistive devices.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Person transfer assist systems: a literature review

   46 citations · 2019
2. 2
   Usability and task load comparison between a robotic assisted transfer device and a mechanical floor lift during caregiver assisted transfers on a care recipient

   14 citations · 2020
3. 3
   Assessment of Muscle Activation of Caregivers Performing Dependent Transfers With a Novel Robotic-Assisted Transfer Device Compared With the Hoyer Advance

   6 citations · 2020

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links