Taking care of the elders constitutes a major issue in the western societies. Smart homes appear ... more Taking care of the elders constitutes a major issue in the western societies. Smart homes appear to be a socially and economically viable solution. They consist in habitats augmented with sensors and actuators enabling to achieve activity recognition and to provide assistive services to a resident. Stationary aspect of sensors used in most smart homes makes the concept difficult to deploy in existing homes, and involves a high cost. In this paper, we propose an inexpensive non-vision-based system ably to recognize, in real-time, activities and errors of a resident. This proposed recognition system is based on a shoe equipped with a single sensor: a three-axis accelerometer and on a state-transition algorithmic approach using fuzzy logic. We have examined the learning data as frequency distributions, where the probability histograms have been directly interpreted as fuzzy set. We conducted experiments of the system in our smart home by simulating (multiple times) several scenarios based on a morning routine. These scenarios were based on clinical data gathered in a previous experiment with actual Alzheimer's patients. We obtained promising results showing that the proposed activity and error recognition system are highly effective.
2015 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, 2015
ABSTRACT Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have affected an increasing number of people in the act... more ABSTRACT Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have affected an increasing number of people in the active general population. In this perspective, we developed a measuring tool taking muscle activities in certain regions of the body, standing posture taking the center of pressure under the feet and feet positions. This tool also comprises an instrumented helmet containing an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity, and an accelerometer reporting the movements of the head. Then, our tool comprises both non-invasive instrumented insole and safety helmet. Moreover, the same tool measures muscular activities in specific regions of the body using an electromyogram (EMG). The aim is to combine all the data in order to identify consistent patterns between brain activity, postures, movements and muscle activity, and then, understand their connection to the development of MSDs. This paper presents three situations reported to be a risk for MSDs and an analysis of the signals is presented in order to differentiate adequate or abnormal posture.
Proceedings of the 25th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37439), 2003
Abstract-This paper presents an artificial locomotion servo-system for an insect like hexapod Bio... more Abstract-This paper presents an artificial locomotion servo-system for an insect like hexapod BioMicroRobot (BMR). This servo-system, programmed with VHDL code, will act as a driver in a RISC architecture microcontroller to reproduce insect tripod walking. An overview of the ...
2000 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium. Conference Record (Cat. No.00CH37149), 2000
The use of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) is a natural step in the evolution of modern PET... more The use of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) is a natural step in the evolution of modern PET scanners to improve system flexibility, increase design speed, and reduce electronic circuit size and cost. Hybrid high-performance programmable digital interfaces integrating an on-...
2014 IEEE International Symposium on Robotic and Sensors Environments (ROSE) Proceedings, 2014
ABSTRACT In a near future, human and industrial manipulator will work together sharing a common w... more ABSTRACT In a near future, human and industrial manipulator will work together sharing a common workspace and production activities leading to a potential increase of accident. The research project concerns the adaptation of industrial robot already installed in a flexible manufacturing system in order to make it more interactive with human. The aim concerns the reduction of potential risk of injuries while working with an industrial robot. This paper presents a new inexpensive, non-intrusive, non-invasive, and non-vision-based system, for human detection and collision avoidance. One method investigated for improving safety concerns planning of safe path. This system recognizes human activities and locates operator's position in real time through an instrumented safety helmet. This safety helmet includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) and an indoor localization system such as RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) using industrial wireless equipment. A hybrid workspace including a flexible manufacturing system has been designed in order to practice experiments in an industrial-like environment.
2014 IEEE International Symposium on Robotic and Sensors Environments (ROSE) Proceedings, 2014
ABSTRACT It is known that head gesture and brain activity can reflect some human behaviors relate... more ABSTRACT It is known that head gesture and brain activity can reflect some human behaviors related to a risk of accident when using machine-tools. The research presented in this paper aims at reducing the risk of injury and thus increase worker safety. Instead of using camera, this paper presents a Smart Safety Helmet (SSH) in order to track the head gestures and the brain activity of the worker to recognize anomalous behavior. Information extracted from SSH is used for computing risk of an accident (a safety level) for preventing and reducing injuries or accidents. The SSH system is an inexpensive, non-intrusive, non-invasive, and non-vision-based system, which consists of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and dry EEG electrodes. A haptic device, such as vibrotactile motor, is integrated to the helmet in order to alert the operator when computed risk level (fatigue, high stress or error) reaches a threshold. Once the risk level of accident breaks the threshold, a signal will be sent wirelessly to stop the relevant machine tool or process.
2014 IEEE International Symposium on Haptic, Audio and Visual Environments and Games (HAVE) Proceedings, 2014
ABSTRACT Providing a safe and rich environment to achieve ambulatory rehabilitation of the elderl... more ABSTRACT Providing a safe and rich environment to achieve ambulatory rehabilitation of the elderly, accident victims, or physically impaired patients, has motivated many researchers to develop lower limb prosthetic systems able to transmit physical stimuli at the skin surface. To this end, we propose a novel event-based method of synthesizing the vibratory characteristics of different types of material, such as broken stone, concrete, snow, sand, and earth, during walking, by using automatically generated Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filters with pseudo-randomized coefficients to ensure a unique vibration at every step. As a first step, theoretical results were obtained by providing a simulated force input signal into the IIR filter’s Real-Time Simulink model. The outcomes proved to be promising and demonstrated that the synthesized signals are highly comparable to the measured material response in both time and frequency domains. A comparison of the signals obtained by the proposed IIR filter approach and a physical model based technique is presented. Finally, this paper presents a new lower limb prosthetic-skin interface with the capabilities of rendering interactions measured at the foot such as vibrations and pressure points.
2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2009
A Cable-Driven Locomotion Interface employs two independent cable-driven haptic foot platforms co... more A Cable-Driven Locomotion Interface employs two independent cable-driven haptic foot platforms constrained in six degrees of freedom (6-DOF). Its control system and its geometry are designed for performing a wide range of trajectories that could generate cable interferences. This paper presents and analyzes computational methods for determining which cable can be released from an active actuation state while allowing control
IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics - Part A: Systems and Humans, 2000
The intrinsic interaction of a robotic system that includes two 6-degree-of-freedom cable-driven ... more The intrinsic interaction of a robotic system that includes two 6-degree-of-freedom cable-driven platforms sharing a common workspace might result in cable interferences for random trajectories. This paper presents and analyzes computational methods for geometrically determining and managing these interferences for any trajectory constrained with variable loads. The algorithms considered determine which cable can be released from an active actuation state
Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, 2013
ABSTRACT This paper presents the electromechanical characterization of Nafion-Pt microlegs for th... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the electromechanical characterization of Nafion-Pt microlegs for the development of an insect-like hexapod BioMicroRobot (BMR). BMR microlegs are built using quasi-cylindrical Nafion-Pt ionomeric polymer-metal composite (IPMC), which has 2.5 degrees of freedom. The specific manufacturing process using a laser excimer for one leg in three-dimensional configurations is discussed. Dynamic behavior and microleg characteristics have been measured in deionized water using a laser vibrometer. The use of the laser vibrometer shows the linear characteristics between the duty cycle of square wave input and displacement rate of the actuator at multiple frequencies. This linearity is used to design a servo-system in order to reproduce insect tripod walking. As well, BMR current consumption is an important parameter evaluated for each leg. Current passing throughout the IPMC membrane can result in water electrolysis. Four methods are explained for avoiding electrolysis. The hardware test bench for measurements is presented. The purpose of this design is to control a BMR for biomedical goals such as implantation into a human body. Experimental results for the proposed propulsion system are conclusive for this type of bioinspired BMR.
2015 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications (MeMeA) Proceedings, 2015
ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to improve and facilitate the methods used to assess risk of fa... more ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to improve and facilitate the methods used to assess risk of falling among older people at home. We propose an automatic version of One-Leg Standing (OLS) test for risk of falling assessment by using a Smartphone and an instrumented insole. For better clinical assessment tests, this study focuses on exploring methods to combine the most important parameters of risk of falling into a single score. Twenty-three (23) volunteers participated in this study for evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed system which includes eleven (11) elderly participants: seven (7) healthy elderly (67.16±4.24), four (4) Parkinson disease (PD) subjects (70±12.73) and twelve (12) healthy young adults (28.27±3.74). Our work suggests that there is an inverse relationship between OLS score proposed and risk of falling. Proposed instrumented insole and application running on Android could be useful at home as a diagnostic aid tool for analyzing the performance of elderly people in OLS test.
Taking care of the elders constitutes a major issue in the western societies. Smart homes appear ... more Taking care of the elders constitutes a major issue in the western societies. Smart homes appear to be a socially and economically viable solution. They consist in habitats augmented with sensors and actuators enabling to achieve activity recognition and to provide assistive services to a resident. Stationary aspect of sensors used in most smart homes makes the concept difficult to deploy in existing homes, and involves a high cost. In this paper, we propose an inexpensive non-vision-based system ably to recognize, in real-time, activities and errors of a resident. This proposed recognition system is based on a shoe equipped with a single sensor: a three-axis accelerometer and on a state-transition algorithmic approach using fuzzy logic. We have examined the learning data as frequency distributions, where the probability histograms have been directly interpreted as fuzzy set. We conducted experiments of the system in our smart home by simulating (multiple times) several scenarios based on a morning routine. These scenarios were based on clinical data gathered in a previous experiment with actual Alzheimer's patients. We obtained promising results showing that the proposed activity and error recognition system are highly effective.
2015 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, 2015
ABSTRACT Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have affected an increasing number of people in the act... more ABSTRACT Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have affected an increasing number of people in the active general population. In this perspective, we developed a measuring tool taking muscle activities in certain regions of the body, standing posture taking the center of pressure under the feet and feet positions. This tool also comprises an instrumented helmet containing an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity, and an accelerometer reporting the movements of the head. Then, our tool comprises both non-invasive instrumented insole and safety helmet. Moreover, the same tool measures muscular activities in specific regions of the body using an electromyogram (EMG). The aim is to combine all the data in order to identify consistent patterns between brain activity, postures, movements and muscle activity, and then, understand their connection to the development of MSDs. This paper presents three situations reported to be a risk for MSDs and an analysis of the signals is presented in order to differentiate adequate or abnormal posture.
Proceedings of the 25th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37439), 2003
Abstract-This paper presents an artificial locomotion servo-system for an insect like hexapod Bio... more Abstract-This paper presents an artificial locomotion servo-system for an insect like hexapod BioMicroRobot (BMR). This servo-system, programmed with VHDL code, will act as a driver in a RISC architecture microcontroller to reproduce insect tripod walking. An overview of the ...
2000 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium. Conference Record (Cat. No.00CH37149), 2000
The use of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) is a natural step in the evolution of modern PET... more The use of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) is a natural step in the evolution of modern PET scanners to improve system flexibility, increase design speed, and reduce electronic circuit size and cost. Hybrid high-performance programmable digital interfaces integrating an on-...
2014 IEEE International Symposium on Robotic and Sensors Environments (ROSE) Proceedings, 2014
ABSTRACT In a near future, human and industrial manipulator will work together sharing a common w... more ABSTRACT In a near future, human and industrial manipulator will work together sharing a common workspace and production activities leading to a potential increase of accident. The research project concerns the adaptation of industrial robot already installed in a flexible manufacturing system in order to make it more interactive with human. The aim concerns the reduction of potential risk of injuries while working with an industrial robot. This paper presents a new inexpensive, non-intrusive, non-invasive, and non-vision-based system, for human detection and collision avoidance. One method investigated for improving safety concerns planning of safe path. This system recognizes human activities and locates operator's position in real time through an instrumented safety helmet. This safety helmet includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) and an indoor localization system such as RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) using industrial wireless equipment. A hybrid workspace including a flexible manufacturing system has been designed in order to practice experiments in an industrial-like environment.
2014 IEEE International Symposium on Robotic and Sensors Environments (ROSE) Proceedings, 2014
ABSTRACT It is known that head gesture and brain activity can reflect some human behaviors relate... more ABSTRACT It is known that head gesture and brain activity can reflect some human behaviors related to a risk of accident when using machine-tools. The research presented in this paper aims at reducing the risk of injury and thus increase worker safety. Instead of using camera, this paper presents a Smart Safety Helmet (SSH) in order to track the head gestures and the brain activity of the worker to recognize anomalous behavior. Information extracted from SSH is used for computing risk of an accident (a safety level) for preventing and reducing injuries or accidents. The SSH system is an inexpensive, non-intrusive, non-invasive, and non-vision-based system, which consists of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and dry EEG electrodes. A haptic device, such as vibrotactile motor, is integrated to the helmet in order to alert the operator when computed risk level (fatigue, high stress or error) reaches a threshold. Once the risk level of accident breaks the threshold, a signal will be sent wirelessly to stop the relevant machine tool or process.
2014 IEEE International Symposium on Haptic, Audio and Visual Environments and Games (HAVE) Proceedings, 2014
ABSTRACT Providing a safe and rich environment to achieve ambulatory rehabilitation of the elderl... more ABSTRACT Providing a safe and rich environment to achieve ambulatory rehabilitation of the elderly, accident victims, or physically impaired patients, has motivated many researchers to develop lower limb prosthetic systems able to transmit physical stimuli at the skin surface. To this end, we propose a novel event-based method of synthesizing the vibratory characteristics of different types of material, such as broken stone, concrete, snow, sand, and earth, during walking, by using automatically generated Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filters with pseudo-randomized coefficients to ensure a unique vibration at every step. As a first step, theoretical results were obtained by providing a simulated force input signal into the IIR filter’s Real-Time Simulink model. The outcomes proved to be promising and demonstrated that the synthesized signals are highly comparable to the measured material response in both time and frequency domains. A comparison of the signals obtained by the proposed IIR filter approach and a physical model based technique is presented. Finally, this paper presents a new lower limb prosthetic-skin interface with the capabilities of rendering interactions measured at the foot such as vibrations and pressure points.
2009 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2009
A Cable-Driven Locomotion Interface employs two independent cable-driven haptic foot platforms co... more A Cable-Driven Locomotion Interface employs two independent cable-driven haptic foot platforms constrained in six degrees of freedom (6-DOF). Its control system and its geometry are designed for performing a wide range of trajectories that could generate cable interferences. This paper presents and analyzes computational methods for determining which cable can be released from an active actuation state while allowing control
IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics - Part A: Systems and Humans, 2000
The intrinsic interaction of a robotic system that includes two 6-degree-of-freedom cable-driven ... more The intrinsic interaction of a robotic system that includes two 6-degree-of-freedom cable-driven platforms sharing a common workspace might result in cable interferences for random trajectories. This paper presents and analyzes computational methods for geometrically determining and managing these interferences for any trajectory constrained with variable loads. The algorithms considered determine which cable can be released from an active actuation state
Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, 2013
ABSTRACT This paper presents the electromechanical characterization of Nafion-Pt microlegs for th... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the electromechanical characterization of Nafion-Pt microlegs for the development of an insect-like hexapod BioMicroRobot (BMR). BMR microlegs are built using quasi-cylindrical Nafion-Pt ionomeric polymer-metal composite (IPMC), which has 2.5 degrees of freedom. The specific manufacturing process using a laser excimer for one leg in three-dimensional configurations is discussed. Dynamic behavior and microleg characteristics have been measured in deionized water using a laser vibrometer. The use of the laser vibrometer shows the linear characteristics between the duty cycle of square wave input and displacement rate of the actuator at multiple frequencies. This linearity is used to design a servo-system in order to reproduce insect tripod walking. As well, BMR current consumption is an important parameter evaluated for each leg. Current passing throughout the IPMC membrane can result in water electrolysis. Four methods are explained for avoiding electrolysis. The hardware test bench for measurements is presented. The purpose of this design is to control a BMR for biomedical goals such as implantation into a human body. Experimental results for the proposed propulsion system are conclusive for this type of bioinspired BMR.
2015 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications (MeMeA) Proceedings, 2015
ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to improve and facilitate the methods used to assess risk of fa... more ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to improve and facilitate the methods used to assess risk of falling among older people at home. We propose an automatic version of One-Leg Standing (OLS) test for risk of falling assessment by using a Smartphone and an instrumented insole. For better clinical assessment tests, this study focuses on exploring methods to combine the most important parameters of risk of falling into a single score. Twenty-three (23) volunteers participated in this study for evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed system which includes eleven (11) elderly participants: seven (7) healthy elderly (67.16±4.24), four (4) Parkinson disease (PD) subjects (70±12.73) and twelve (12) healthy young adults (28.27±3.74). Our work suggests that there is an inverse relationship between OLS score proposed and risk of falling. Proposed instrumented insole and application running on Android could be useful at home as a diagnostic aid tool for analyzing the performance of elderly people in OLS test.
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Papers by Martin Otis