Robotic Furniture in a Smart Environment: The PEIS Table

2011

Two main trends are emerging in the area of home and service robotics. The classical one aims at the development of a single skilled servant robot, able to perform complex tasks in a passive environment. The second, more recent trend aims at the achievement of domestic tasks through the cooperation of a network of simpler robotic devices pervasively embedded in the environment. This paper contributes to the latter trend by describing the PEIS Table, a robotic table that can be embedded in a domestic environment and perform autonomous navigation tasks. The PEIS Table can operate alone, or it can be part of a smart robotic environment, based on the concept of PEIS Ecology, and cooperate with other devices to perform more complex tasks. The hardware construction and navigation software of the PEIS Table are guided by a set of requirements for robotic domestic furniture. Interestingly, these are not the same as the requirements usually considered for service robots.

Studies in health technology and informatics, 2017

IntelliTable is a new proof-of-principle assistive technology system with robotic capabilities in the form of an elegant universal cantilever table able to move around by itself, or under user control. We describe the design and current capabilities of the table and the human-centered design methodology used in its development and initial evaluation. The IntelliTable study has delivered robotic platform programmed by a smartphone that can navigate around a typical home or care environment, avoiding obstacles, and positioning itself at the user's command. It can also be configured to navigate itself to pre-ordained places positions within an environment using ceiling tracking, responsive optical guidance and object-based sonar navigation.

2. Objectives/aims In this course, participants work and learn in an interdisciplinary environment creating services that are related especially in the furniture sector. The practical methods and techniques of service design and innovation management are explored. Specific techniques, guidelines and examples are used to emphasize the practical aspects of service design in a ways that are both user centric and socially and culturally appropriate. Participants will consider the social, technological and economic considerations when ...

Gerontechnology, 2012

Purpose Ergonomics is the engineering science that is concerned with the physical and psychological relationship between machines and the people who use them. The key is to get the best out of something with the smallest possible effort. In ergonomics function is as important as aesthetics. Ergonomics is concerned with the creation of a product or an environment, where the connection between human skills and the surroundings is optimized. The aim of the proposed paper is the implementation of an ergonomic furniture system concentrating on height adjustments in particular. Method Furniture is designed to adapt to specific needs, supporting various human activities. According to the application, a set of guidelines or rules is followed during design in order to provide ergonomic features. Small or large sized furniture can be found within the household, comprising individual modules, placed at a specific height, based upon the desired functionality. In order to realize the proposed concept, a development approach was followed. First, thorough research was conducted to identify the actual need of such a system and define the appropriate design specifications. According to the various existing technologies and processes, the authors identified those that met the design requirements, and those better adapted to the proposed system. Once the initial concept was finalized, a series of experiments were carried out in a real environment, implementing the prototype of the proposed system. Results & Discussion The proposed robotic furniture system provides an integrated solution, consisting of reduced space utilization, modularity, and intelligent operation, while respecting ergonomic principles. A set of electrical motors was used to position the various sections of the system at the correct height level, and to displace them on the horizontal axis to allow a rotational motion path. The implemented prototype was evaluated in terms of ergonomics (using an age simulation suite), organizational ergonomics within a room, and space utilization (as the individual sections/shelves can rotate in a vertical direction, the proposed system can be installed in small rooms, achieving 20% space utilization efficiency providing more space for mobility with walking frames or wheelchairs). A vision system was integrated into the prototype to perform object recognition-for efficient classification of objects stored into the various system sections, for assistance in retrieving a specific previously stored object by moving the appropriate section of the furniture up or down to the correct height. The real-time response of the vision system, efficiently addresses the need for a short time delay between user queries and system response. The robotic furniture system also serves as a lift, a seat, or a working place for elderly people, i.e. it efficiently applies ergonomics to issues in the living environment of the ageing society. Fusing functions and services such as infotainment or internet connectivity, also provides extended functionality to the user. Many everyday activities can be dealt with a more efficiently from a single terminal.

Abstract—We aim at merging technologies from Information Technology, Roomware, and Robotics in order to design adaptive and intelligent furniture. This paper presents the framework for modular robots, called Roombots, as future building blocks for furniture that moves and self-reconfigures. The reconfiguration is done using dynamic connection and disconnection of modules and rotations of the degrees of freedom. Self-reconfiguration planning is a necessary step to autonomously change shape.