Page 341 - Handbook of Electronic Assistive Technology

330 HANDBOOK OF ELECTRONIC ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

FIGURE 11-11 Controllers application of SimMechanics-Simulink on NAO (Wang et al�, 2016)� (A) full geometric
model of NAO in Simmechanics; (B) sub-system model of right leg; (C) simulation of NAO and its exoskeleton in
Simulink-Simmechanics; (D) PID controller of hip-pelvis joint of the right leg�

SARs have been used in mental healthcare applications, primarily children with autism
spectrum disorder and older adults with dementia. They have been used as therapy aids
for children dealing with grief and loss, as social mediators for children with autism and
as companions in nursing homes and elementary schools (Feil-Seifer and Matari, 2005).
SARs can be designed to have animal-like, machine-like and human-like forms. Many
animal and related animal-inspired designs have been used in SAR applications, including
dogs, cats, seals and dinosaurs (Rabbitt et al., 2015). In the United States animal-assisted
therapy and animal-assisted activities have become widely recognised. Both of these are
considered to have three main positive effects: psychological, physiological and social
(Bemelmans et al., 2012). However, this type of therapy has its drawbacks, e.g., possible
physical risks such as allergy, infection and injury, as well as cost and accessibility. These
potential restrictions may be addressed by robots with the physical appearance of animals
and the ability to respond to human interaction. Such robots, have been shown to effec-
tively reduce depression and stress (Kachouie et al., 2014).
Although SARs enhance the human–human interaction, and have been seen to have an
increased interaction with caregivers, it is important to note that currently technologies