Automated Construction - Test Input

ing and ending positions, legs fatigue. (Fig 6). Of
course, a close physical check has to be done before
enrolling the person into the job task, to be sure
that his health condition still permit him to work and
also to adapt the assistive manipulator to his actual
state.
Fig 6 Exoskeleton principle – technology transfer for
elderly assistive manipulator
CONCEPT – ASSISTIVE UNIT AND TOOLS HOLDER
Kiva automation system (Fig 7) is a very good example
for logistic innovation for factory use (Kiva
2009) 9 . The robotic system is carrying out a shelf
from the sup
Fig 7 Kiva robotic system for logistics
plier and assist the worker in sorting the components
for the client demand. The robot is carrying by itself
the shelf going through the special check in points
where the employer is making the sorting. After the
components are placed the shelf is continuing his
path to another check arrives in the final destination
distribution to the client point. The robots are organized
by operating different paths in parallel and they
Fig 8 Kiva logistic principle – technology transfer for
elderly assistive unit
can meet when different components have to be shift
by the human operator. Having a similar approach
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an assistive unit for ageing employer could be developed.
The system should assist the employer as a
mobile platform and should also have storage capabilities
for the tools. (Fig 8) The equipment has to be
designed ergonomically reducing the effort of the
elderly by having the picking up tools platform in an
easy to reach point, and the storage should be resolve
with an additional sorting feature. The assistive
unit could handle multiple tasks such as: recommending
solution for the employer’s tasks, carry the
tools, travel to the tools and components suppliers in
the factory, etc. The recommendations could be
made in two steps: identifying the issue with camera
vision sensors and using the database resource for
similar situations to explain the task which has to be.
The unit assistant might also has sensors for monitoring
the employee health conditions, such as blood
pressure control.
CONCEPT – THE OFFICE DESK FOR ELDERLY USE
Besides the tasks which are implying more physical
effort the research and development should also
focus upon the office work which refers more desk
tasks, where the intellectual effort is required. Designing
an office workstation for elderly professionals
(Fig 9) is a very complex task. More elements should
be taken into considerations such as the chair and
the desk design; also the workstation fitting into the
designated environment. The communication with
the others via computer, keyboard and mouse adjustment,
the desk active workspace configuration,
the storage design in order to be reachable, easy to
organize, are things which have to resolved. The
design of the chair could contain adjustable positions
setups such as controllers and mechanisms for helping
the elderly raising by his request, sensors for
health monitoring, massage options for blood circulation
improvements in case of long shift periods. The
chair has to have the possibility of moving into the
office or to be coupled o the locomotion device of the
elderly. Situations like different levels of immobility
could happened for elderly professionals but this
shouldn’t cause them any constraints or impossibilities
to continue to come to the office if they want to
carry their tasks. The desk design should be focused
on eliminating possible injuries, rounded edges, the
reduction of glass as material which can hurt in case
of falling or dropping objects by mistake.
Fig 9 Office desk workstation for elderly