Human-Centered service robotic systems for assisted living

Abstract

Mobility impairment is a common problem for the elderly population which relates to difficulties in performing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and consequently leads to restrictions and the degradation of the living standards of the elders. When designing a user-friendly assistive device for mobility constrained people, the variable spectrum of disabilities is a factor that should affect the design process, since people with different impairments have different needs to be covered by the device, thus an adaptive behavior of those systems is necessary. Also, the performance of bathing activities includes several challenges for the elderly people, since such tasks require body flexibility. In this paper, we present current frameworks and solutions for intelligent robotic systems for assistive living involving human robot interaction in a natural interface. Our aim is to build such systems, in order to increase the independence and safety of these procedures. To achieve human - robot interaction in a natural way, we have to adapt the expertise of carers regarding bathing motions and walking assistance. The main goal of this work is to present recent research results towards the development of two real-life use cases incorporating intelligent robotic systems, aiming to support mobility and bathing activities for the elderly in order to provide context-aware and user-adaptive assistance.