A Three-Dimensional Skin-Shape Reproduction Mechanism for Evaluating the Risk of Wounds When Using a Wearable Robot

When using a wearable robot, the interaction force applied at the point of contact may cause skin injuries. Therefore, validating the safety of wearable robots becomes important for their practical application. One method for evaluating contact safety at the fixation area of a wearable robot is to reproduce the relative motion and interaction force that occur at the area on a dummy. However, humans have various shapes, and evaluation of various human skin shapes is required. This study aims to develop a three-dimensional skin-shape reproduction mechanism with which to validate the safety of wearable robots. To that end, we have developed a simulation consisting of a cable-reinforced membrane that estimates surface deformation to examine different dummy shapes. Comparisons between device and simulation shapes validated the process of reproducing human skin and the range of deformation and elasticity of the dummy.

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