Department of Clothing, Konkuk University, Seoul, 05029, Republic of Korea.
Department of Clothing and Textiles, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 24;13(1):4869. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-32117-2.
Anchoring components are added to wearable robots to ensure a stable interaction between the suits and the human body and to minimize the displacement of the suits. However, these components can apply pressure to the body and can cause user dissatisfaction, which can decrease willingness to use the suits. Therefore, this study aims to develop a suit-type soft-wearable robot platform for walking assistance by providing comfortable garment pressure to ensure user satisfaction. The first prototype of a wearable robot suit was developed with anchoring components on the shoulders, waist, and thighs based on previous research results. Wear tests were conducted to measure garment pressure depending on posture using pressure sensors, and satisfaction surveys were conducted. The second prototype design was then developed, and performance tests with flexible artificial muscles and a satisfaction survey were conducted. Regarding the first prototype, the participants felt more than normal pressure in the shoulders and relatively less pressure in the thighs and calves. Thus, compared to the first design, the second design ensured a decreased garment pressure and resulted in an improvement of overall user satisfaction. These results can help provide guidance in the development of wearable robots by taking pressure comfort and user satisfaction into consideration.
锚固组件被添加到可穿戴机器人中，以确保套装和人体之间的稳定相互作用，并将套装的位移最小化。然而，这些组件可能会对身体施加压力，导致用户不满，从而降低使用套装的意愿。因此，本研究旨在通过提供舒适的服装压力来开发一种套装式软式可穿戴机器人平台，以确保用户满意度，从而实现行走辅助。基于以前的研究成果，开发了具有肩部、腰部和大腿锚固组件的可穿戴机器人套装的第一个原型。使用压力传感器根据姿势进行了服装压力测量的佩戴测试，并进行了满意度调查。然后开发了第二个原型设计，并进行了带有柔性人工肌肉的性能测试和满意度调查。关于第一个原型，参与者在肩部感到的压力超过了正常压力，而在大腿和小腿处的压力相对较小。因此，与第一个设计相比，第二个设计确保了服装压力的降低，从而提高了整体用户满意度。这些结果可以帮助在考虑压力舒适度和用户满意度的情况下，为可穿戴机器人的开发提供指导。
