Robotic Walkers to Assist the Elderly

I saw a press release by Robosoft (a French company that creates "advanced robotics solutions") with attractive CAD drawings of a robotic walker meant to assist the elderly.  I thought this was a good opportunity to examine some of the other robotic solutions in this space, from the more complex Care-O-Bot II from Fraunhofer to the most simplistic passively-breaking walkers that prevent stumbling and excessive acceleration.  Read further for more information, and if you know of any examples of robotic walkers to assist the elderly, please chime in!

Unfortunately, walkers are commonplace among the elderly, as they prevent falls and result in increased mobility.  For those who are unfamiliar, see the images below.

Robotics has the potential to provide improved walker solutions, so let's examine some research examples.  We'll start from the most simple and steadily build up in complexity.   Perhaps the most simple "robotic" walker is an entirely passive caster-walker that uses electrorheological (ER) fluid to provide dynamic breaking (see below).

ER fluids are a "smart material" in that they can (reversibly) change viscosity when exposed to an electric field.  When employed in intelligent brakes on a walker, they can prevent the walker from lurching forward or accelerating sharply.  This helps prevent patients from stumbling forward when mounting / dismounting the walker and also reduces acceleration when traversing steep slopes.  Despite the fact that this system is entirely passive, I believe it still qualifies as a robot as it has sensing (acceleration), thinking (acceleration bounding), and acting (modifying the ER fluid's viscosity).  [Apologies, the only images I could find were in a Google Book].

The next level of complexity sports enhanced sensing and powered mobility assistance.  One such example is the Co-Operative Locomotion Aide (COOL Aide) system, which is "a passive, shared control, robotic walking aide that helps the elderly and injured get around by determining a user's intent and assisting them with movement".  This system appears to have received NSF funding in 2005 and was featured on the LiveScience website (pictured below left).  Another example is a system from the Korean Center for Intelligent Robotics pictured below right.  Unfortunately, the only details I've been able to locate are in a Chosun article.

The Robosoft RobuLAB10 system adds further capabilities -- namely, powered assistance in standing and sitting.  Generally, I prefer to reserve commentary until images of physical prototypes emerge.  Unfortunately, all we have at this time are a set of CAD models.  I'll be curious to see how the final system turns out.

Combining a manipulator arm with the powered robot walker adds yet another level of complexity, as in the Fraunhofer Care-O-Bot II (pictured below).  This type of system can operate as a walker, but also independently of the user to provide mobile manipulation capabilities. 

I think it is clear that yet more complex systems will evolve in the rather near term.  For example, I have yet to see Care-O-Bot II (or other) walkers operate fully autonomously independent of the user.  Further, I have yet to witness such a system physically manipulating the human -- either to assist in standing / sitting or otherwise.  Exciting times ahead!