An application of scissored-pair control moment gyroscopes in a design of wearable balance assistance device for the elderly.
Impaired balance control ability and degraded functional mobility increases the risk of falling in elderly people. The elderly show more postural sway when standing compared with young people. A sway fall occurs when the center of gravity moves outside the limit of stability. In order to reduce the fall risk from the excessive sway, this study presents the design of wearable balance assistance device for the elderly. Scissored-pair control moment gyroscopes were selected as a torque actuator. A two-axis inclination sensor was used to detect the inclined angle of the wearer's body. The direction of sway was calculated from the detected inclined angle. The designed device weighs 8.2 kg with a height of 32 cm × width of 40 cm × depth of 22 cm. A multi-segment model of a standing human was used to investigate the device's performance for balance recovery. According to the simulations, balance recovery in any direction was successfully accomplished with the appropriate initial angle. The relationship between the effective initial angle and detected inclined angle was subsequently established. The stability provided by activation of the device was able to limit the unstable user's sway boundary. The designed device shows promise for use as a balance assistance device for the elderly.