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End user needs elicitation for a full-body exoskeleton to assist the elderly
Date
2015
Abstract
For ageing individuals, declining physical functional capacity can lead to loss of independence, decreased engagement in the community and reductions in quality of life. As such, solutions that can effectively and affordably supplement older adults’ diminishing functional capacity, and thus facilitate maintained independence and social participation over time are urgently required. The AXO-SUIT project – funded by the European Commission under the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme - is developing assistive exoskeleton devices for older adults with impaired mobilityand/ordifficulties in performingactivities of daily living. This paper will report on-going research which aims to identify end user needs,and thus provide inputs to specify the design requirements of the AXO-SUIT exoskeletons. The objectives of this initial questionnaire study are to identify the functional assistance requirements of potential end users of the AXO-SUIT in terms of mobility, reaching and handling, and fullbody support for performing activities of daily livingat home and in the wider community. The end user requirements identified will be used to formulate functional specifications for the AXO-SUIT lower-body and upper-body sub-systems, which will ensure that the AXO-SUIT prototypes will provide for the specific mobility, reaching and handling needs of end users, and also to provide useful insights into the perspectives and needs of end users in relation to assistive exoskeletons in general.
Supervisor
Description
peer-reviewed
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
Procedia Manufacturing: 6th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2015) and the Affiliated Conferences, AHFE 2015;3, pp. 1403-1409
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OSullivan_2015_end.pdf
Adobe PDF, 114.82 KB
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Funding Information
Enterprise Ireland (EI), Innovation Fund Denmark