Assistive robotic arm: Evaluation of the performance of intelligent algorithms

ABSTRACT

People with upper body disabilities may be limited in their activities of daily living. Robotic arms, such as JACO, are assistive devices that could improve their abilities, independent living, and social participation. However, performing complex tasks with JACO can be time-consuming or tedious. Therefore, some advanced functionalities have been developed to enhance the performance of users. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the performance, in terms of ease of use, task completion time, and participants’ perception of usability, of three new algorithms applied to the JACO robotic arm: (1) predefined position, (2) fluidity filter, and (3) drinking mode. The secondary objective is to evaluate differences in performance variables between proportional and non-proportional control modes. Fourteen participants with upper body disabilities completed various tasks with and without these functionalities. Using JACO with the algorithms led to a significant decrease of up to 72% in task completion time and improvements of 2.3 and 2.9 on a 7-point Likert scale for perceived ease of use and usability, respectively. There was no significant difference between control modes. Our results demonstrate that algorithms could produce significant improvements in performing daily living activities.

KEYWORDS:

• assistive devices
• assistive robotic arms
• control algorithms
• rehabilitation

Acknowledgments

A special thank you to Jean Leblond, PhD, for his contribution to the data analysis.

Conflict of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Board at the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de La Capitale-Nationale (CIUSSS-CN).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS) with a start-up grant to Alexandre Campeau-Lecours and from Fonds de recherche Du Québec – Santé (FRQS) to François Routhier (salary grant # 27088) and Philippe Archambault (salary grant # 35316);Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé [27088,35316].