Study of the drive-timing for a standup motion-supporting mechanism for the elderly

To develop a mechanism that will smoothly support the standup motion of elderly people, we reconsidered the operation-start timing of our previously developed device using a measurement apparatus. In the experiments with elderly subjects, the mechanism did not work as well as it did with younger subjects. For younger subjects, the floor's reaction force decreased when the support mechanism was used, which was the same as the effect gained when the measurement apparatus was used. However, similar effectiveness was not seen for elderly subjects because of the different way in which they hold the handrail. Thus, we investigated the cause of this discrepancy with the aim of improving the apparatus. As a result, the success rate of the start timing of the support mechanism was improved through experimentation with elderly people.