A team of scientists from South Korea and the USA has presented a new robotic technology capable of dressing a person without manual assistance or any other involvement.
This technology is based on the use of soft and flexible 'tendrils' that are actuated by air pressure and embedded in clothing. When the pressure increases, these tendrils slide the fabric tightly against the person's body, similar to how a plant climbs a structure.
Kim Nam Gyun, a postdoctoral researcher at KAIST and lead author of the paper on this technology, explained that the idea came about after he got caught in the rain while cycling and considered the usefulness of automatically putting on a raincoat while moving.
He added that the 'tendril robot' stays close to the person and dresses them by turning the clothing inside out as it moves, allowing it to move steadily along the contour of the body. The process of putting on a full suit takes about ten seconds.
An important aspect of this development is the ability to dress a person while they are in motion, which does not require immobility from them. Potential applications include assisting the elderly and people with disabilities with dressing, as well as use in semiconductor cleanrooms and by emergency services requiring specialized protective gear.
Professor Ryu Ji Hwan, a lecturer in civil and environmental mechanical engineering at KAIST, noted that his team's invention demonstrates how mechanical engineering can complement the fields of software and artificial intelligence.