Development of a Service Robot for Hospital Environments in Rehabilitation Medicine with LiDAR Based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

This paper presents the development and evaluation of a medical service robot equipped with 3D LiDAR and advanced localization capabilities for use in hospital environments. The robot employs LiDAR-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping SLAM to navigate autonomously and interact effectively within complex and dynamic healthcare settings. A comparative analysis with established 3D SLAM technology in Autoware version 1.14.0, under a Linux ROS framework, provided a benchmark for evaluating our system performance. The adaptation of Normal Distribution Transform NDT Matching to indoor navigation allowed for precise real-time mapping and enhanced obstacle avoidance capabilities. Empirical validation was conducted through manual maneuvers in various environments, supplemented by ROS simulations to test the system response to simulated challenges. The findings demonstrate that the robot integration of 3D LiDAR and NDT Matching significantly improves navigation accuracy and operational reliability in a healthcare context. This study highlights the robot ability to perform essential tasks with high efficiency and identifies potential areas for further improvement, particularly in sensor performance under diverse environmental conditions. The successful deployment of this technology in a hospital setting illustrates its potential to support medical staff and contribute to patient care, suggesting a promising direction for future research and development in healthcare robotics.

Multicriteria Optimization of Lower Limb Exoskeleton Mechanism

Typical leg exoskeletons employ open-loop kinematic chains with motors placed directly on movable joints; while this design offers flexibility, it leads to increased costs and heightened control complexity due to the high number of degrees of freedom. The use of heavy servo-motors to handle torque in active joints results in complex and bulky designs, as highlighted in existing literature. In this study, we introduced a novel synthesis method with analytical solutions provided for synthesizing lower-limb exoskeleton. Additionally, we have incorporated multicriteria optimization by six designing criteria. As a result, we offer several mechanisms, comprising only six links, well-suited to the human anatomical structure, exhibit superior trajectory accuracy, efficient force transmission, satisfactory step height, and having internal transfer segment of the foot.