A Dual-Motor Actuator for Ceiling Lift with High-Force and High-Speed Capabilities

Patient transfer devices allow for passive movement of patients in hospitals and care centers. Instead of hoisting the patient, it would be beneficial in some cases to assist their movement, enabling them to move by themselves and reducing hospitalization time. However, patient assistance requires d...

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Main Authors: Ian Lalonde, Jeff Denis, Mathieu Lamy, Alexandre Girard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Actuators
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/14/2/92
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author Ian Lalonde
Jeff Denis
Mathieu Lamy
Alexandre Girard
author_facet Ian Lalonde
Jeff Denis
Mathieu Lamy
Alexandre Girard
author_sort Ian Lalonde
collection DOAJ
description Patient transfer devices allow for passive movement of patients in hospitals and care centers. Instead of hoisting the patient, it would be beneficial in some cases to assist their movement, enabling them to move by themselves and reducing hospitalization time. However, patient assistance requires devices capable of precisely controlling output forces at significantly higher speeds than those used for patient transfers alone, and a single-motor solution would be over-sized and would show poor efficiency for accomplishing both functions. This paper presents a ceiling robot, using a dual-motor actuator and adapted control schemes, that can be used to transfer patients, assist patients in their movement, and help prevent falls. The prototype is shown to be able to lift patients weighing up to 318 kg and to assist a patient with a desired force of up to 100 kg with a precision of 7.8%. Also, a smart control scheme to manage falls is shown to be able to stop a patient who is falling by applying a desired deceleration.
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spelling doaj-art-fb682f9db8044a4ab7e99eb14719de4c2025-08-20T02:44:57ZengMDPI AGActuators2076-08252025-02-011429210.3390/act14020092A Dual-Motor Actuator for Ceiling Lift with High-Force and High-Speed CapabilitiesIan Lalonde0Jeff Denis1Mathieu Lamy2Alexandre Girard3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1N 3C6, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1N 3C6, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1N 3C6, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1N 3C6, CanadaPatient transfer devices allow for passive movement of patients in hospitals and care centers. Instead of hoisting the patient, it would be beneficial in some cases to assist their movement, enabling them to move by themselves and reducing hospitalization time. However, patient assistance requires devices capable of precisely controlling output forces at significantly higher speeds than those used for patient transfers alone, and a single-motor solution would be over-sized and would show poor efficiency for accomplishing both functions. This paper presents a ceiling robot, using a dual-motor actuator and adapted control schemes, that can be used to transfer patients, assist patients in their movement, and help prevent falls. The prototype is shown to be able to lift patients weighing up to 318 kg and to assist a patient with a desired force of up to 100 kg with a precision of 7.8%. Also, a smart control scheme to manage falls is shown to be able to stop a patient who is falling by applying a desired deceleration.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/14/2/92force controlphysically assistive devicesrehabilitation roboticsmultifunctional actuator
spellingShingle Ian Lalonde
Jeff Denis
Mathieu Lamy
Alexandre Girard
A Dual-Motor Actuator for Ceiling Lift with High-Force and High-Speed Capabilities
Actuators
force control
physically assistive devices
rehabilitation robotics
multifunctional actuator
title A Dual-Motor Actuator for Ceiling Lift with High-Force and High-Speed Capabilities
title_full A Dual-Motor Actuator for Ceiling Lift with High-Force and High-Speed Capabilities
title_fullStr A Dual-Motor Actuator for Ceiling Lift with High-Force and High-Speed Capabilities
title_full_unstemmed A Dual-Motor Actuator for Ceiling Lift with High-Force and High-Speed Capabilities
title_short A Dual-Motor Actuator for Ceiling Lift with High-Force and High-Speed Capabilities
title_sort dual motor actuator for ceiling lift with high force and high speed capabilities
topic force control
physically assistive devices
rehabilitation robotics
multifunctional actuator
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/14/2/92
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