Brubotics - Dr ir Bram Vanderborght

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State-of-the-art in
assistive robot technology
Prof dr ir Bram Vanderborght

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Societal challenges

3. Continuous evolution

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Robots are coming in our daily life

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Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life,
business, and the global economy

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SPARC is the largest civilian-
funded robotics innovation
programme in the world.

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Limitations of robots

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Human-robot interaction

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Socially assistive robots

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Autonomous interaction

12. Prostheses
VUB
AMPFoot
Cyberlegs

13. Physically assistive robots
Altacro
VUB-KUL Mirad

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Physically assistive robots

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Softsuit

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Cybathlon

17. Better and healthier work
Average age employee: 45 years
2015: 22% 46-50 years 2019: 16%
2015: 24% >50 years 2019: 37%
High cogniLve and physical load for large group
unsafe situaLons, higher absenteeism
Absenteeism: 6% (100.000 €/day)
reduced compeLLveness, weakened posiLon

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Coworkers and exoskeletons

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Construction

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Commercial devices

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Challenges
• Ergonomics: mass customisation, modularity, volume, motion
freedom, self aligning joints, doffing and donning
• Force, power and energy efficiency
• Aesthetics
• Acceptance
• Clinical evidence
• Safety
• Intuitive control
• Reliability
• Cost
• Connection with VR, BCI,…
• ….
Exoskeleton Market to Reach $1.8B in 2025

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Lessons from surgical robots
Attract new technologies
Avoid monopolies
Develop ecosystem
Green zone Riziv Hibbot
AMP foot 4

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Conclusion
• Assistive robotics are coming!
• in all forms and applications
• as ubiquitous as computers today
• Will they be a blessing?
• Answer to societal challenges (ageing, reshoring, healthier, better
and more jobs)
• Create new economic markets, new products, new jobs
• Need to take this opportunity
• Make inclusive robot agenda
• Most important: to be able to take care of each other
• Maybe robots leave us time to be more human