In a nutshell
- MIT researchers developed a compact robot that can lift, support, and catch older adults during a fall, all without requiring them to wear a harness or device.
- The E-BAR robot uses an innovative 18-bar linkage system, omnidirectional drive, and rapid-inflating airbags to assist with daily tasks and prevent injuries in real-time.
- Designed for aging-in-place, the robot significantly reduced task difficulty in user testing and could help address caregiver shortages while supporting seniors’ desire to remain at home.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. —
Over 11,000 Americans turn 65 each day, and with each passing year comes more risk for one of the most dangerous threats of aging: falls. But have no fear! Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a new robot, aptly named E-BAR (Elderly Bodily Assistance Robot), that can lift a person from the floor, help with daily movements, and catch someone during a fall, all without requiring them to wear any special harness or device.
Ninety-two percent of elderly Americans strongly prefer to age in their homes rather than move to assisted living facilities, but falls remain the leading cause of injury for those over 65. In fact, approximately one in four elderly Americans—nearly 14 million people—falls each year.
This
research
, set to be presented at the IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), provides new safety technology for seniors who are afraid of falling but don’t want to be put in a nursing home or
assisted living facility
.
“Many older adults underestimate the risk of fall and refuse to use physical aids, which are cumbersome, while others overestimate the risk and may not exercise, leading to
declining mobility
,” says study author Harry Asada from MIT, in a statement.
Most elderly individuals resist wearing restrictive devices despite needing assistance, and switching between different
assistive technologies
can be hazardous for older adults trying to manage independently.
The Fall Prevention Robot
What separates E-BAR from existing
eldercare robots
is its unique combination of features in a single system. While other robots might help with standing or walking or provide fall detection, E-BAR does it all with a surprisingly slim profile—just 38 centimeters at its narrowest point. This allows it to navigate through typical home doorways and around furniture.
The robot acts as an unseen safeguard located behind the individual. It features a U-shaped arm which can offer assistance beneath the armpits or around the lower forearms, making it possible for numerous seniors to engage in actions they typically shun because of their physical limitations.
fear of falling
, like bending down to retrieve items or entering and exiting bathtubs.
When the team evaluated the robot using elderly participants and caregivers, they discovered that numerous seniors possess sufficient
muscle strength
For everyday tasks yet lacking assurance with their stability. The E-BAR program specifically caters to this demographic: around 24 percent of Americans aged above 65 possess substantial muscular power but depend on supportive equipment; moreover, among individuals older than 75, roughly 28 percent exhibit heightened chances of falling as per clinical evaluations.
Making Independent Living Safer
Unlike most
support robots
Requiring the user to remain inside the robot’s base footprint, E-BAR can stretch its support arm over obstacles such as bathtub edges without compromising stability. This capability was attained via computational optimization that effectively balanced various factors including the size of the footprint, extension range, and overall steadiness.
To develop the lifting mechanism, the MIT team created a novel 18-bar linkage system designed to follow the natural path of human motion during the transition from sitting to standing. This setup offers optimal mechanical assistance at crucial moments when users require the greatest support, replicating how one would typically move.
caregiver
might assist someone.
The E-BAR comprises four quick-inflating segments.
airbags
This system can activate within under 250 milliseconds to protect an individual when they start falling. It continuously checks for signs of imbalance and has the capability to anticipate a potential fall prior to it starting, allowing sufficient time for the airbags to fully expand and provide safe protection to the person.
Although falls occur rapidly, there is a short yet critical timeframe between the moment of instability and the fall itself during which the system can activate its safety features.
The airbags were specifically designed with
elderly skin
in mind. They use neoprene foam coverings to provide high friction with clothing while distributing pressure over a large enough area to prevent bruising.
User-Centered Design for Everyday Challenges
For movement, the robot employs an omni-directional drive mechanism featuring four individually powered wheels capable of rotating in all directions. When configured in an X pattern, the robot remains stable under its own power, resisting lateral forces effectively. Actually, it withstands over double the expected sidelong pressure for regular operation, as confirmed through discussions with experts.
healthcare professionals
.
The robot’s development was user-centric from the start, incorporating feedback from
nurses
, care professionals, and
elderly individuals
at multiple stages. This resulted in practical features like padding on all potential contact points to prevent bruising elderly skin and handlebars allowing users to grip the support in multiple orientations.
Eldercare situations may vary every couple of weeks or months,” states Asada. “Our aim is to offer consistent and uninterrupted assistance as an individual’s needs evolve.
disability
or
mobility
changes with age.”
In testing scenarios, E-BAR successfully assisted users with challenging activities like getting into and out of bathtubs, bending to reach objects, transitions from sitting to standing, and walking. Adult participants reported that tasks which previously averaged a difficulty rating of 3.17 out of 5 dropped to just 1.83 when using the robot.
“All the population trend indicators suggest a scarcity of caretakers, an excess of senior citizens, and a significant preference among seniors to remain living at home. We view this as an underdeveloped area in the U.S., yet simultaneously as an inherently intriguing challenge for robotics,” states Roberto Bolli, who authored the study at MIT.
The vacancy rate for the U.S. eldercare sector currently stands at 20% to 25%. Given that nursing home expenses typically exceed $108,000 per year, advancements in technology aimed at delaying or preventing
institutional care
could provide significant economic benefits while respecting elderly individuals’ preferences for independence.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers employed a user-centered design process, consulting with caregivers and elderly individuals throughout development. They created a computational model to optimize the robot’s physical parameters, running over 1 billion simulations to find the ideal balance between footprint size, weight, and stability. The team developed a novel 18-bar linkage mechanism to provide natural lifting motion and maximum mechanical advantage, an omnidirectional drive base with independently controlled wheels for stability, and a pneumatic airbag system capable of inflating in under 250 milliseconds. They tested the robot in six common scenarios: bathtub entry/exit, bending to reach objects, fall catching, toilet sit-to-stand transitions, floor-to-standing lifts, and walking assistance.
Results
The E-BAR robot successfully demonstrated the ability to support users across all test scenarios. It achieved a minimum width of 38.1 cm while maintaining stability with a 110 kg base weight, allowing it to navigate typical home environments. The robot could extend its support fork up to 46 cm beyond its base of support, enabling it to span obstacles like bathtub edges. In testing, it withstood lateral forces exceeding 265 N (x-axis) and 155 N (y-axis) without slipping, well beyond the 120 N requirement. The four-airbag fall-catching system successfully deployed in under 250 ms, though some air leakage was noted. Users reported decreased task difficulty from an average of 3.17/5 to 1.83/5 when using the robot.
Limitations
The study noted several limitations, including issues with air leakage in the airbag system during testing. While the airbags still stabilized users, the lower pressure caused some downward slippage. The robot currently lacks autonomous navigation and automated fall detection capabilities, which would be necessary for real-world deployment. The researchers also mentioned that additional user interface improvements were suggested by participants, including visual cues like lights to indicate the robot’s movement direction. Testing of high-risk scenarios was conducted with adult subjects rather than elderly participants due to IRB restrictions.
Funding and Disclosures
The research was supported by the National Robotics Initiative Grant No. 2133075 and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. 2141064. Human subject tests were reviewed and approved by MIT under IRB number 2207000712.
Publication Information
The document entitled “Elderly Bodily Assistance Robot (E-BAR): A Robotic System Providing Body-Weight Support, Gait Aid, and Fall Prevention Without a Harness” was written by Roberto Bolli Jr. and H. Harry Asada from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. This work was released by the
IEEE Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers
(IEEE) as an author’s final manuscript post peer review and will be presented at the IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).
