MIT Engineers Build Robot That Can Catch, Lift Seniors If They Fall

The robot functions like an invisible safety net positioned behind the user. Its U-shaped fork can provide support under the arms or at the forearms, enabling activities that many elderly people avoid due to fear of falling, such as bending to pick up objects or getting in and out of bathtubs.

When the team tested the robot with elderly participants and caregivers, they found that many older adults have enough muscle strength for daily activities but lack confidence in their balance. E-BAR targets exactly this population, the approximately 24% of Americans over 65 who have significant muscle strength but require assistive devices, and the 28% of those over 75 who show increased fall risk in clinical assessments.

Making Independent Living Safer

Unlike most support robots that require the user to stand within the robot’s base footprint, E-BAR can extend its support arm across gaps like bathtub edges while maintaining stability. This was achieved through computational optimization that balanced competing priorities like footprint size, reach distance, and stability.

To create the lifting mechanism, the MIT team developed an innovative 18-bar linkage system that follows the natural trajectory of human movement when transitioning from sitting to standing. This mechanism provides maximum mechanical advantage at key points where users need the most help, mimicking how a caregiver might assist someone.

The E-BAR includes four rapidly inflating airbags that can deploy in less than 250 milliseconds to catch someone during a fall. The system monitors for balance issues and can predict a fall before descent begins, giving the airbags enough time to inflate and safely cushion the user.