Distance-based Interface for Standing/Sitting Behaviors for a Lower-Limb Assist Robot

When designing and developing a novel standing and sitting assist device for elderly people, an easy-to-learn and simple-to-use interface system capable of responding to complex and diverse environments is of particular importance. Since the assist device is expected to employ in various kinds of public places, more than anything, protection of personal information is its fundamental requirements. For this purpose, our paper tackles a problem of designing a user interface between an elderly user and the assist device helping him/her stand up and sit down. As a solution approach, the paper introduces a distance-based interface, allowing to recognize the 3D standing/sitting behaviors, without requiring any additional sensor inputs such as visual data.