Self-Wearing Adaptive Garments Via Soft Robotic Unfurling
Nam Gyun Kim, William Heap, Yimeng Qin, Elvy Yao, Jee-Hwan Ryu, Allison M. Okamura
AI summary
Problem
Existing robotic dressing assistants rely on rigid manipulators that struggle with deformable fabrics, require long operation times, complex control, and fixed user postures, limiting their practicality and safety for individuals with limited mobility.
Approach
The proposed Self-Wearing Adaptive Garment (SWAG) augments standard clothing with an internal pneumatic subvine that pushes the garment tip forward to unfurl and wrap around the body, minimizing friction and enabling adaptive, autonomous donning.
Key results
- Autonomous jacket donning in 13 seconds and pants donning in 21 seconds
- Subvine-based unfurling mechanism eliminates full inflation and minimizes skin-garment friction
- Design guidelines for subvine count and placement to balance propulsion force with structural compliance
- Experimental validation across multiple garment configurations with human subject demonstrations
Why it matters
Provides a safe, adaptable, and computationally lightweight alternative to rigid dressing robots, advancing independent daily living for individuals with mobility impairments.
Abstract
Robotic dressing assistance has the potential to improve the quality of life for individuals with limited mo- bility. Existing solutions predominantly rely on rigid robotic manipulators, which have challenges in handling deformable garments and ensuring safe physical interaction with the human body. Prior robotic dressing methods require excessive operation times, complex control strategies, and constrained user postures, limiting their practicality and adaptability. This paper proposes a novel soft robotic dressing system, the Self-Wearing Adaptive Garment (SWAG), which uses an unfurling and growth mechanism to facilitate autonomous dressing. Unlike traditional approaches, the SWAG conforms to the human body through an unfurling-based deployment method, eliminating skin-garment friction and enabling a safer and more efficient dressing process. We present the working principles of the SWAG, introduce its design and fabrication, and demonstrate its performance in dressing assistance. The proposed system demonstrates effective garment application across various garment configurations, presenting a promising alternative to conventional robotic dressing assistance.