Wearable assistive device for physical load reduction of caregiver - adaptive to caregiver's motion during transferring support

This paper introduces an adaptive lower-limbs assistive device to reduce physical load of a caregiver during transferring an elderly or a physically challenged person between a bed and a wheelchair or between a wheelchair and a toilet seat. Based on our experimental results with our conventional assistive device at a nursing home, the previous assistive device restrained caregiver's waist going backward in a lifting phase, because a single brace member attached on a root of a backfoot affects horizontal force as well as vertical force to a hip part when the member inclines. The caregiver wants the member to uphold his/her weight without constraints which disturb the hip motion. A new assistive device sustains the caregiver's weight during transferring with double brace members which are located around a trace of center of gravity of the caregiver in an upright position so that he/she could move his/her hip with less constraints. This function is evaluated and confirmed through experiments with healthy subjects and physical therapists.