SkinGrip: An Adaptive Soft Robotic Manipulator with Capacitive Sensing for Whole-Limb Bathing Assistance

2024-05-04

arXiv.org

AI Summary

To address poor contact safety and limited adaptability of rigid robots in full-body bathing assistance for people with disabilities, this study proposes an adaptive bathing robot integrating expandable soft structures with distributed capacitive near-field sensing. The system achieves limb-adaptive envelopment without rigid contact, closed-loop force regulation, and real-time human proximity monitoring—thereby ensuring both compliant interaction and safe human–robot collaboration. In user trials involving 12 participants across 96 sessions, the robot achieved cleaning rates of 88.8% for arms and 81.4% for legs, significantly outperforming a rigid对照 robot. Human factors evaluation confirmed substantial improvements in safety, comfort, and cleaning thoroughness. This work introduces the first integrated design combining soft pneumatic expansion actuation with embedded capacitive sensing, establishing a generalizable paradigm for safe, compliant human–robot interaction in assistive bathing applications.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Human-Robot Interaction
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices
• Natural Language Processing: Safety and Robustness

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Assisted, interactive, and conversational search

Abstract

Robotics presents a promising opportunity for enhancing bathing assistance, potentially to alleviate labor shortages and reduce care costs, while offering consistent and gentle care for individuals with physical disabilities. However, ensuring flexible and efficient cleaning of the human body poses challenges as it involves direct physical contact between the human and the robot, and necessitates simple, safe, and effective control. In this paper, we introduce a soft, expandable robotic manipulator with embedded capacitive proximity sensing arrays, designed for safe and efficient bathing assistance. We conduct a thorough evaluation of our soft manipulator, comparing it with a baseline rigid end effector in a human study involving 12 participants across $96$ bathing trails. Our soft manipulator achieves an an average cleaning effectiveness of 88.8% on arms and 81.4% on legs, far exceeding the performance of the baseline. Participant feedback further validates the manipulator's ability to maintain safety, comfort, and thorough cleaning.

Problem

• Develops a soft robotic manipulator for bathing assistance
• Ensures safe and efficient cleaning of human limbs
• Addresses challenges in human-robot physical interaction

Innovation

• Soft robotic manipulator with capacitive sensing
• Expandable design for whole-limb bathing
• High cleaning effectiveness and safety