Sensing device simulating human buttock for the validation of robotic devices for nursing care

Robotic devices for nursing care are expected to help caregivers work with the elderly. Some robotic devices assist in the physical transfer of the elderly, and these robots come in contact with large surfaces of the human body. The regions of the buttock and the back may be uncomfortable due to these robotic devices. Therefore, sensing devices simulating a human buttock were developed to quantify and evaluate the load of a human body objectively. This buttock dummy consists of simulated bone and soft tissues, which include muscle, fat and skin. These regions have multi-axis force sensors to enable the quantification of the load due to the robotic devices used for nursing care. On measuring the soft exterior, it was found that the stiffness of the buttock dummy was similar to the human buttock. The comfort of a robotic bed was measured using the buttock dummy, and it was found that the shear force increased due to the deformation of the robotic bed. Thus, it was proven that the buttock dummy was capable of measuring the load of the human body when being used with robotic devices for nursing care.