ROBINA – IMPLEMENTING THE NEEDS OF PERSONS SUFFERING FROM SEVERE MOTORIC LIMITATIONS INTO A ROBOT-SUPPORTED SYSTEM

摘要

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease with its highest prevalence level in people in their seventies, leads to an irreversible gradual loss of body functionality and eventually to death. Main care objectives are the (re-)positioning of the patient’s body and handling of objects, while supporting autonomy and self-care. The disease results in a high dependency from caregivers and assistive technologies. The relief of caregivers and the reinforcement of patient autonomy are central in the publicly funded project “ROBINA”. Here, a robotic-supported arm that directly receives user commands will be developed to support ALS-patients in their activities of daily living. A user-centered design is ensured by the involvement of all user groups (ALS-patients, formal and informal caregivers) into the development process. We present the preliminary results from a first study that evaluated the needs of ALS-patients. The methodology consisted of a quantitative and qualitative approach using questionnaires, interviews and participatory observations. Relevant topics addressed technology acceptance and related influencing factors, e.g. fear of losing human proximity or social participation via assistive systems. Crucial requirements were to guarantee patient safety and to target an adaptive system use to ensure the longest possible usage despite the body status’ deterioration. Insecurities concerned the realization of the robotic-arm’s features and the financing. The results of the requirements analysis are the basis for the further course of the project. A transferability of the results to geriatric patients is given as they often experience motoric impairments, e.g. after stroke, and would profit from the robotic-arm described above.