SimpleARM

Inspiration

Patients with mobility impairments currently need constant help in their daily lives, either by nursing staff or relatives.

What it does

The device helps patients reach and grab an object that they can not reach. It helps patients with mobility impairments regain autonomy, which can improve their quality of life. It reduces the burden on relatives and nursing staff, and reduces the associated costs.

How we built it

We use an IMU sensor to detect arm gestures. These gestures are used to control a robotic arm in the 3D world. Our robotic device can grab objects and bring them near the patient. We simulate the robotic arm in a physics-based simulation platform.

Challenges we ran into

We had challenges in processing the IMU sensor data. We had some difficulties developing a smooth controller for the robotic devices (e.g, it would jitter too much at times).

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We believe that with more engineering work, we could deliver a solution to help people with motor impairments.

What we learned

We learned how to work with wearable sensors, how to work with physics simulation software and how to develop controllers for robotic devices.

What's next for SimpleARM

Better, more robust controllers for the robotic arm. We would like to filter the data from the sensor to remove some of the noise present. Then, we would like to test it on real robotic arm.