Elderly Care

Research Group   -  Fundamentals of care assistance through medical systems and infrastructures

 

Motivation

In the course of the natural aging process, elderly people can become dependent on care. Even a transfer to a stationary facility is conceivable.

In the research group "Elderly Care", research on assistance systems targets compansating age related restrictions or improving the care assistance. Research topics range from assurance of sufficient fluid intake, over compansating cognitive disorders to kinematic design of planar  joint structures to support the physical strength.

Methodology

 

Compensation of Vegetative Disorders

Vegetative restrictions include, among other things, a diminishing sense of thirst, hunger or toilet urgency.

A drinking cup equipped with intelligent sensors, automatically determines its fill level and deduces the amount of fluid intake. By transferring the information to a display unit, the system can be used to control the amount of fluid intake and thus to prevent dehydration.

Compensation of Cognitive Disorders

Cognitive limitations are related to mental performance, e.g. forgetfulness, spatial or temporal orientation difficulties.

The systems Motionlogger, Eventlogger and RFID logger record movements, behaviors and interactions with objects in order to understand the daily routine. In the case of undesired abnormalities, reminders or warnings can be issued.

With the network converter, measurement data can be received from motion logger, event logger and RFID logger wirelessly and forwarded to a home care unit. Here, the data is stored and evaluated in order to view it via a touch display.

Compensation of Physical Restrictions

Physical restrictions occur in the form of weakness, insecurity, rapid fatigue or slow reflexes.

To compensate the musculoskeletal weaknesses, kinematic analysis of planar joint structures are carried out, which support the natural raising process. To facilitate the transfer of patients to a nursing bed at the same level, additional joint structures are developed to enable the patient to take a lying position.

Wearable weight supporting systems are researched to assist caregivers with physically demanding work. To protect the joints and avoid shear forces, methods are being developed to individually adapt a wearable structure to the body.

Projects

  • Individualized Orthoses/Exoskeletons

Facilities

The chair posseses various manufactoring facilities for the production of functional models and prototypes. Such as a precision engineering shop floor. Notable facilities include:

  • EOS Formiga 100
  • CNC 5-axis milling machine (Deckel)
  • Z-corp Z-510
  • Trotec Speedy 400 flexx laser cutter
  • Others

Publications

  • Reimer, S.M.F.; Abdul-Sater, K.; Lueth, T.C. (2016): Bio-Kinematic Design of Individualized Lift-Assist Devices. Medical and Service Robots 2016, Graz, 4.-6. Juli 2016, pp. 1-12.
  • Hein, C.M.; Pfitzer, M.; Lüth, T.C. (2016): Evaluierung der Nutze-rakzeptanz tragbarer Hilfsmittel zur passiven Kraftunterstützung für Altenpflegekräfte. Zweite transdisziplinäre Konferenz „Technische Unterstützungssysteme, die die Menschen wirklich wollen“ 2016, Hamburg, Germany, December 12-13, 2016, pp. 79-87.
  • Kreutzer, J.F., Deist, J., Hein, C.M.; Lüth, T.C. (2016): Sensor systems for monitoring fluid intake indirectly and directly. IEEE EMBS 13th Annual International Body Sensor Networks Conference, San Francisco, USA, 14.-17.06.2016, pp. 1-6.
  • Kreutzer, J.F., Flaschberger, J., Hein, C.M.; Lüth, T.C. (2016): Capacitive Detection of Filling Levels in a Cup. IEEE EMBS 13th Annual International Body Sensor Networks Conference, San Francisco, USA, 14.-17.06.2016, pp. 1-6
  • D'Angelo L. T.; Abdul-Sater K.; Pflügl F.; Lueth T. C. (2015): Wheelchair Models With Integrated Transfer Support Mechanisms and Passive Actuation, ASME Journal of Medical Devices, Volume 9, Issue 1, March 2015, pp. 011012-1 - 011012-13.
  • Kreutzer, J.K.; Schmid, R.; Reimer, S.M.F.; Lueth, T.C.; D'Angelo, L.T. (2014): Radio Frequency Identification Based Detection of Filling Levels for Automated Monitoring of Fluid Intake, Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO), December 5-10, Bali, Indonesia, pp. 2049-2054.
  • D’Angelo, L.T.; Kreutzer, J.F.; Neuhaeuser, J.; Reimer, S.M.F.; Lueth, T.C. (2014): Personal Assistive Devices for Elderlies - Executing activi-ties of daily living despite natural ageing-related changes, A. Holzinger, M. Ziefle, & C. Roecker, eds. Pervasive Health - State-of-the-art and beyond. Springer, pp. 181–210.
  • Kreutzer, J.F.; Pfitzer, M.; D’Angelo, L.T. (2013): Accuracy of caring personnel in estimating water intake based on missing liquid in drinking vessels, 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), pp. 4682–4685.

Contact Persons

Dipl.-Ing. Sandra Brecht

Michael Kruttschnitt, M.Sc.