SYMPOSIUM SESSION: Kyung Hee University BK21 AgeTech-Service

Abstract

ICT-Medical convergence Patient Transfer Assistant Robot system

K.W. Jung, B.W. Lee, B.H. Lim, J.H. Yoon, S.H. Kim, M.W. Moon, Y.J. Cho

Purpose With the rapid increase of the elderly, the demand for rehabilitation, disease prevention, and care services is increasing, and the need for caring robots is emerging to solve the problem of insufficient caring manpower. As a result of surveying 120 care workers, 63.8% of care workers lift and move patients every day, and as a result, 39.2% have musculoskeletal disorders. (Kyunghee University Hospital, 2019). In this study, rehabilitation, disease prevention, and caring products are reviewed. Particularly to reduce the burden on the musculoskeletal system for caregivers and provide safety and comfort to patients, we present the research results of a “patient transfer assistance robot” developed by applying ICT technology. Method The sling that wraps the patient was developed by applying the pneumatic growth mechanism technology, and it was possible to put the patient on and off the sling comfortably and quickly. Both arms of the robot are designed to raise and lower the patient with little force by applying gravity compensation technology. Driving intention detection technology was applied to enable intuitive control and to enable two-degree-of-freedom electric driving. Sensing and control technology is applied to prevent obstacle collisions and falls during patient transport, and a small computer is mounted to enable control and patient data base management. Results and Discussion In this study, rehabilitation, disease prevention and care products for the elderly were reviewed. In particular “patient transfer assistance robot” using ICT was developed, and patient boarding, elevating, and electric driving technologies were reviewed using the developed product. As a result, it was confirmed that the sling insertion time (52.5 seconds), the robot's elevating time (20 seconds), and the electric driving and control were improved compared to the existing patient transfer equipment. The improved results in terms of reducing the physical burden on the caregiver, patient convenience, and safety will be presented by H.R. Shin (kyunghee univ).

References

Won-Bum Lee, Do-Won Kim, Jae-Bok Song (2021), Novel 3-DOF counterbalance mechanism based on spring balancer for mobile robot arms, Mechatronics 82(2022) 102734, 1-10.

Jonggyu Choi, Seungjun Lee, Jeongryul Kim, MyungJoong Lee, Keri Kim, and Hyunki In (2020), Development of a pneumatically-driven Growing Sling to assist patient transfer, proceedings of 2020 IEEE/RSJ International conference on intelligent robotics and systems (IROS) 2020.

Jae-Kyung Min & Jae-Bok Song (2020), Sensor Block Type Joint Torque Sensor Insensitive to Crosstalk Error, IEEE Sensors Journal, vol 20, NO7, 3469-3475.

Keywords: smart sling, Gravity compensation, electric driving, dual arm transfer robot, caring service

Address: Man&tel Co., Ltd, Republic of Korea.

Email: kwjung@manntel.com

Acknowledgement (if applicable) This research was supported by the Program for Care Robot (20005002, Development of human centered smart assist robot with dual arms for patient transfer) funded By the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea)

Evaluating the Smart Transfer Assistive Robot with Dual Arms in Health care Workers

H.R. Shin, H.J. Yoon, S.W. Ban, Y.G Kim, S.R, Um, W.C. Shin, Y.S. Kim

Purpose The care robots including transfer assistive robots have been developed to solve the shortage of health care workers has arisen by reducing their workload. The task of transferring and lifting older adults in facilities and hospitals is known to demanding physical work and is might be caused musculoskeletal injury (Davis & Kotowski, 2015; Santaguida et al., 2005). Various transfer assistive equipment and devices have been developed including mechanical lifts and powered or robotic systems. However, not many equipment and devices were used in the Korean market due to inconvenience and dissatisfaction (Kim et al, 2022). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the transfer assistive robot based on the objective and subjective health care workers’ health and perceptions in long-term care facilities and hospitals. Method Fifteen health care workers (long-term care workers) from long-term care facilities (n=15) and fifteen health care workers (nurses, nurse assistants, paid caregivers, and transferring assistants) from integrated nursing care service hospitals. (n=15) participated in the evaluation of the smart transfer assistive robot. We recruited those who physically transferred older adults or patients as their jobs over the 1 year. Our measurements are RPE(Rating of Perceived Exertion), NASA-TLX(NASA Task Load Index), and usability items including satisfaction, manipulability, and stability. Results and Discussion We found out the smart transfer assistive robot with dual arms had a better score with RPE, NASA-TLX, satisfaction, manipulability, and stability than the manual which means health care workers conducted transferring work with dummy without robots.

References

Davis KG, Kotowski SE. (2015). Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders for Nurses in Hospitals, Long-Term Care Facilities, and Home Health Care. Hum Factors J Hum Factors Ergon Soc, 57, 754–92.

Santaguida PL, Pierrynowski M, Goldsmith C, Fernie G. (2005). Comparison of cumulative low back loads of caregivers when transferring patients using overhead and floor mechanical lifting devices. Clin Biomech, 20, 906–16.

Kim, Y. S. (2022, June 28). Suggestions for the Expansion of the Care Robot Ecosystem: Empirical Study Results on Transfer Assistive Robot and Latest Trends of Smart Care [Symposium]. 2022 Care Robot Policy Symposium, Seoul, Korea.

Keywords: Care Robot, Transfer Assistive Robots, Health Care Worker

Address: AgeTech-Service Convergence Major, Graduate School of East-West Medicine Science, Kyunghee University, South Korea

Email: zisoa@khu.ac.kr

Acknowledgement This work was supported by the BK21 FOUR program of National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) and the Program for Care Robot (20005002, Development of human centered smart assist robot with dual arms for patient transfer) funded By the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea)

Comparison of Health Status and Life Satisfaction Based on Food Security of the Elderly Living Alone

H.S.Lim, H.R. Shin, S.R, Um, H.J, Ahn, Y.S. Kim

ISSUE The rapidly aging population of Korea has already emerged as an important social issue, and the country is playing a mediating role from various perspectives to ensure a healthier retirement life. Food security is defined as “a state in which food of sufficient quantity and quality is provided to all household members through socially acceptable methods to sustain a healthy life.” Such food security is closely related to nutrient intake and food intake in the elderly and has a significant impact on health status and quality of life. In particular, single-person households need more active support, but related research is lacking.

CONTENT In this study, groups were classified in terms of food sufficiency and variety for the elderly in single-person households, and the personal and community factors as well as the degree of satisfaction were examined. Among the elderly living in single-person households, the proportion of the food insufficiency group was 7.4% for men and 10.6% for women, slightly higher for women. In both men and women aged ≥80 years, low-educated people, and recipients of basic livelihood, the proportions of the food-sufficiency-without-variety and food insufficiency groups were significantly higher. In terms of life satisfaction, the overall score of elderly women was lower than that of elderly men, and there was a significant difference between men and women in terms of food security. Moreover, the satisfaction score was significantly lower in the food-without-variety and food insufficiency groups. In elderly men, basic livelihood security benefits, subjective health level, living environment satisfaction, and food security had a significant effect on life satisfaction. The elderly’s household status is known to be highly related to health promotion behavior, physical health level, nutritional status, and quality of life. When only the food security status of single-person households was examined in this study, it was found that the group with sufficient food, but no variety accounted for 34.4% on average and the group with insufficient food accounted for 10.0% on average. In addition, food security was found to be more prevalent in women, older adults, people with lower education levels, and people with lower economic levels.

CONCLUSION To resolve food insecurity among the elderly living alone, it is believed that adequate financial resources, a stable food supply system, and active use and support of social activity programs and community networks are necessary.

References

Kim JY, Lee SK, Kim SG. Comparisons of food security, dietary behaviors and nutrient intakes between adult North Korean Refugees in South Korea and South Koreans. Nutr Res Pract. 2020;14(2):134-142.

Park S, Kim K. Food Acquisition through Private and Public Social Networks and Its Relationship with Household Food Security among Various Socioeconomic Statuses in South Korea. 2018;10(2):121.

Wu F, Guclu H. Global maize trade and food security: implications from a social network model. Risk Anal. 2013;33(12):2168-78.

Keywords: health status, life satisfaction, food security, elderly

Address: Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Korea

E-mail: limhsgeron@khu.ac.kr

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the BK21 plus program "AgeTech-Service Convergence Major" through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education of Korea [5120200313836]