Track manipulation, locomotion and embodied systems.
Search papers, labs, and topics across Lattice.
This paper introduces ShowerFlex, a highly articulated, pseudo-static balanced continuum mechanism for accessible bathing assistance, addressing the challenges faced by older adults. The system integrates a modular continuum architecture with friction-locked ball-and-socket joints and a spring-loaded reel for gravity compensation, enabling a "Push-and-Stay" interaction with low actuation force. Theoretical analysis and experimental validation confirm the mechanism's morphological adaptability, static stability, and ergonomic performance, offering a low-cost, intrinsically safe solution to reduce physical strain.
A novel continuum shower hose design achieves pseudo-static balancing with a "Push-and-Stay" interaction, drastically reducing the force required for repositioning and enhancing user autonomy.
With the global population rapidly aging, maintaining independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), particularly bathing or showering, has become a critical challenge. Older adults who sit while showering currently have limited options, often relying on rigid overhead showerheads or flexible hand-held hoses that require continuous gripping and precarious user maneuvers, increasing the risk of falls. To address this need, this paper introduces a highly articulated, pseudo-static balanced continuum mechanism designed specifically for accessible bathing assistance. The proposed mechanism features a modular continuum architecture composed of friction-locked ball-and-socket joints (loc-line), seamlessly integrated with a retractable spring-loaded reel for effective gravity compensation. This hybrid design achieves an intuitive"Push-and-Stay"interaction logic, maintaining an approximate static equilibrium with ergonomically low actuation force, without any external electronic power, while significantly minimizing the force needed for repositioning. Theoretically, we established a recursive forward kinematics framework to construct the geometric model of the structure, coupled with a comprehensive static equilibrium analysis to evaluate the system's holding capacity across its 51-DOF structure. Numerical simulations utilizing Monte Carlo methods validate the system's morphological adaptability and stability at various extreme positions within a standard bath space. Physical experiments further validate the prototype's real-world performance, confirming its intrinsic static stability against gravity and ensuring that the actuation force remains well within the ergonomic capabilities of older adults. Ultimately, this research provides a low-cost, intrinsically safe showerhead design that reduces physical strain, restoring dignity and autonomy in personal hygiene.