Task-specific assistive device (TAD): An accessible technological solution for upper limb disability

Veena Jayasree-Krishnan, Shramana Ghosh, Jack Spiegler, Preeti Raghavan, Vikram Kapila

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

The task-specific assistive device (TAD) is a compact and portable assistive device, consisting of an actuated six-bar linkage, designed to facilitate the activity of drinking from a cup without using the hands. In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of the device in supporting patients with conditions of incomplete tetraplegia and hemiplegia by simulating disability in 17 healthy subjects. The average percentage reduction in bending angle of torso with the use of TAD was found to be 40.31% for subjects with simulated incomplete tetraplegia and 37.14% for subjects with simulated hemiplegia. Users also completed the system usability scale (SUS), indicating that the device was easy to use. The user workload, measured using the NASA task load index (NASA-TLX), was found to be minimal and the device was found to be robust through user response to a user experience questionnaire. The results of this work indicate that TAD is a promising solution for facilitating independence in a basic activity of daily living such as drinking from a cup without using the hands.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFrontiers in Biomedical Devices, BIOMED - 2020 Design of Medical Devices Conference, DMD 2020
PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
ISBN (Electronic)9780791883549
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020
Externally publishedYes
Event2020 Design of Medical Devices Conference, DMD 2020 - Minneapolis, United States
Duration: Apr 6 2020 → Apr 9 2020

Publication series

NameFrontiers in Biomedical Devices, BIOMED - 2020 Design of Medical Devices Conference, DMD 2020

Conference

Conference2020 Design of Medical Devices Conference, DMD 2020
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityMinneapolis
Period04/6/20 → 04/9/20

Funding

upper extremities [1–3] in patients. Upper extremities are vital for performing a variety of functional tasks such as eating, drinking, bathing, and dressing, which constitute activities of daily living (ADL). Thus, impairments in upper limbs affect patients’ ability to perform essential activities, making them dependent on caregivers. However, there is an increasing scarcity of caregivers to provide assistance for individuals suffering from the aforementioned disabilities. This impedes participation of patients in the normal social activities and ultimately leads to deterioration in their quality of life. Numerous prior studies have focused on varied types of assistive technology devices [4,5] to reduce the limitations of patients suffering from physical impairments, for example robotic manipulators [6], passive orthoses [7], active orthoses [8,9], etc. One robotic aid that is commercially available to support the ADL of eating is called ‘My Spoon’ [10], which is a meal-assist robot. A fork is attached to the five degree of freedom (DoF) manipulator of My Spoon device, which helps disabled individuals in eating food. The device has manual, semiautomatic, and automatic modes of operation. In addition to My Spoon, other robots available to assist with ADL include Handy 1 [11], ASIBOT [12], etc. In general, such commercially available assistive products are expensive, bulky, complex, difficult to maintain, and not portable [11–13]. This, along with the rising shortage of caregivers, suggests a growing urgency in the need to develop new, cost-effective, and viable functional assistive devices. Some researchers have explored the feasibility of substituting single DoF linkages [14,15] in place of complex This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under DRK-12 Grant DRL-1417769,§ RET Site Grant EEC-1542286,† and ITEST Grant DRL-1614085;† and NY Space Grant Consortium under Grant 76156-10488.† This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under DRK-12 Grant DRL-1417769, RET Site Grant EEC-1542286, and ITEST Grant DRL-1614085; and NY Space Grant Consortium under Grant 76156-10488.

FundersFunder number
ITEST
National Science Foundation76156-10488, EEC-1542286, DRL-1417769, DRL-1614085

    Keywords

    • Assistive device
    • Disability
    • Disability simulation
    • Hemiplegia
    • Incomplete tetraplegia
    • NASA-TLX
    • Six-bar linkage
    • System usability scale
    • Task-specific assistive device
    • User experience questionnaire
    • User study

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