A Mechanical Bed for Elderly Care to Assist while Standing, Sitting and Lying

In this article, a new design of bed for patient care is suggested, allowing hospital patients or people requiring home assistance to be able to get up on their own. This system is fully mechanical, which firstly reduces the risk of failure and the durability of the system, and secondly ensures autonomous operation without the need for a power supply. This system has three positions, the lying, sitting and standing position. A four-bar linkage controls the position of the bed, which is divided into three parts directly connected to the linkage, simplifying the kinematics of the bed. In addition to its manual operability, this innovative bed concept includes a safety system that locks the position at all times, preventing any sudden moves to keep the patient comfortable, while still allowing for a rapid position change.