Wearable Device for Sitting Up Support of Parkinson Patients

Parkinson disease, a degenerative brain disorder, affects many people worldwide. In Japan in 2011, 116,536 patients had symptoms and brain dysfunction commonly associated with Parkinsonism [1]. Moreover, Parkinson disease is an increasingly common neurological disorder in an aging society. The most common characteristic clinical signs are tremor, muscular rigidity, postural instability, bradykinesia, and hypokinesia caused by a loss of brain dopaminergic neurons [2]. Disabilities of the neck and trunk prevent the upper body from moving freely. Consequently, a person with Parkinson disease has difficulty with turning motion on a bed. Various devices and robots have been developed for nursing care. Some electronic nursing beds have functions for adjustment of the backrest, footrest, and height. A person can rise from a supine position but sitting on the bed and putting the legs down on the floor is difficult to because a person has difficulty with turning motion. Therefore, leaving the bed independently is troublesome for Parkinson patients. Noritsugu developed a mat that can prevent bedsores [3]. A user’s body is supported by 24 independently controlled balloon-like