Design and Kinematic Research of a Multi-Interaction Integrated Rigid-Flexible Coupling Structure Meal Assistance Robot

The development and application of meal assistance robots are effective approaches to help elderly individuals with impaired hand function to independently feed themselves, particularly in the context of the exacerbated aging population and shortage of caregivers. In this paper, we present a multi-interaction integrated meal assistance robot designed to meet the needs of upper limb function-impaired patients for independent feeding. The robot features six degrees of freedom, with some joints employing flexible joint designs to provide inherent flexibility, resulting in a hybrid rigid-flexible mechanical arm. Subsequently, kinematic analysis of the robot was conducted using the D-H method, yielding the forward kinematic equations and 8 sets of inverse kinematics solutions for the six joint angles, which were validated.