Smart Rollators Aid Devices: Current Trends and Challenges.

Abstract

Mobility loss has a major impact on autonomy. Smart rollators have been proposed to enhance human abilities when conventional devices are not enough. Many human-robot interaction systems have been proposed in the last decade in this area. Comparative analysis shows that mechanical issues aside, they mainly differ in first, equipped sensors and actuators; second, input interface; third, operation modes, and fourth adaptation capabilities. This article presents a review and a tentative taxonomy of approaches during the last 6 years. In total, 92 papers have been reviewed. We have discarded works not focused on humanrobot interaction or focused only on mechanical adaptation. A critical analysis is provided after the review and classification, highlighting systems tested with their target population.