Identification of the Workspaces of Essential Activities of Daily Living for a Wheelchair-mounted Robotic Arm

Research Objectives: To systematically identify and characterize the workspaces associated with essential activities of daily living (ADL) for the development and optimization of wheelchair-mounted assistive robotic systems, considering objects associated with ADLs, human variation in age, gender, and reach to ensure the creation of more effective and efficient assistive devices.

Design: A mixed-method research design.

Setting: In BioRobotics Lab.

Participants: Six healthy participants with a mean age of 30.50

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: (a) The assessment of objects associated with ADLs involved cataloging ADL objects by type, frequency of use, and relevance to daily tasks, measuring their dimensions and spatial requirements; (b) Evaluating ADA-compliant workspace dimensions involves comparing them to ADA standards for accessibility, identifying deviations; and (c) Assess home and lab workspaces by documenting layouts and measuring key dimensions like reach distances, counter heights, and wheelchair spaces and compare these real-world measurements with standard recommendations.

Results: In this study, through customer discovery involving the Lawton IADL scale and Bristol activities of daily living scale, 19 essential ADLs were categorized into seven distinct workspaces (W1-W7) for the development of wheelchair-mounted robotic arms, highlighting the diversity and complexity of spatial requirements necessary for effective assistive device operation. The meticulous measurement of these workspaces, ranging from ground-level tasks requiring lower reach (0-10 cm in height) to shelf and upper-level tasks demanding higher reach capabilities (up to 48 cm in height), underscored the critical need for adaptability and precision in design. Particularly, tasks requiring close proximity to the body, such as those within the facial area workspace (W6), necessitated operations within a more confined space, emphasizing the importance of precision and ergonomic considerations in design. These findings reveal the necessity for assistive technologies to be highly adaptable and customizable, accommodating a broad spectrum of ADLs and user needs, thereby enhancing independence and quality of life for individuals with mobility impairments. The integration of detailed spatial dimensions with ergonomic design principles is essential, suggesting that exceeding ADA standards through user-centered design is vital to truly meet the diverse needs of these individuals.

Conclusions: Comparing these real-case workspace dimensions with ADA standards and ergonomic considerations, our study emphasizes the necessity of integrating detailed, real-world spatial requirements into the development of assistive devices, ensuring they not only meet but exceed ADA compliance to truly cater to the diverse needs of individuals with mobility impairments.

Author(s) Disclosures: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.