Manus: The evolution of an assistive technology

Issue title: Robotics

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Verburg, Gerbrand^{a; *} | Kwee, Hok^b | Wisaksana, Andre^a | Cheetham, Anastasia^a | van Woerden, Jacobus^c

Affiliations: [a] Bloorview MacMillan Centre, 350 Rumsey Road, Toronto, Ontario M4G 1R8, Canada | [b] IRV, Postbus 192, NL-6430 AD Hoensbroek, The Netherlands | [c] TPO-TPD TNO Institute of Applied Physics, P.O. Box 155, 2600 AD Delft, Stieltjesweg 1, Delft, The Netherlands

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. Tel.: + 1 416 4256220, ext. 3529; fax + 1 416 425 1634; e-mail, verburg@ecf.utoronto.ca.

Abstract: Manus is a wheelchair mounted robotic arm that was designed for people who have significant impairment in function of all limbs. The process of development, user testing, and product modifications is described, with special emphasis on evaluations by consumers, After an evolution of 20 years, Manus is a commercially available product that is now being prescribed for users in The Netherlands and France. Preliminary prescription criteria are presented and a look at the current status of the assistive technology device concludes the paper.

Keywords: Robotics, Wheelchair, Consumer evaluation, Product development, Prescription criteria

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-1996-5209

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 217-228, 1996