Bi-manual robots match humans in safely turning injured necks
Bi-manual Stabilization of the Cervical Spine for Safe Physical Human-Robot Interaction in Rolling Maneuvers
Robotics
Summary
The neck can be easily injured, so people who move injured patients are very careful not to twist it the wrong way. This paper shows how robots with two arms can hold and rotate the neck safely during movement. The authors created a way for the robot to grip firmly but safely and control how the neck turns. Their robot did almost as well as humans at keeping the neck properly aligned during rolling.
What this means in practice
- •For emergency responders: Use bi-manual robots to safely rotate injured patients’ necks during extraction and transport.
- •For physical therapy teams: Employ robot-assisted neck stabilization for controlled movement of patients during rehabilitation exercises.
Authors
Elizabeth Peiros, Moira Bohley, Lucas Yager, Derek Chen, Rebecca Fellbaum, Chris D'Ambrosia, Ananya Rao, Xiao Liang, Michael C. Yip
Abstract
The neck, specifically the cervical spine, is a highly fragile and mobile part of the body with a high risk of catastrophic injury. Whether someone is injured on a battlefield, in a natural disaster, or in an athletic event, great care is always taken with the cervical spine when transporting, rolling, or moving the patient. In this work, we present an algorithm and adaptations for bi-manual robots to stabilize the cervical spine during rolling maneuvers. We investigate techniques to maximize grip strength within safety bounds and present a control approach for proper neck rotation. We found that with our approach, a bi-manual robot is capable of achieving human-level performance in maintaining target rotational alignments. The axial alignment for the robot with prediction was within .21 degrees of human novices.