About the Team
Team FREE Bionics Japan participated in the Living Assistance Robot Award 2021.
FREE Bionics Japan is a subsidiary of FREE Bionics. Its head office is in Taiwan, and this time it participated from two bases, in Japan and Taiwan.
FREE Bionics is researching and developing the walking assistive robots. They are committed to finding solutions for people with disabilities. From Taiwan to the world, FREE Bionics has inherited the spirit of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (AIST), a Taiwanese government agency, and is constantly evolving to lead the world's welfare.
The robot called “FREE Walk” used this time weighs about 20 kg and can walk at a maximum speed of 2 km/h. It has motors in the hip and knee joints, allowing users to stand, sit, and walk.
There are four control methods, and in this time, the pilots used the controller attached to the crutches. “FREE Walk” includes advanced algorithms to sense and respond to the user's willingness to move and body position. It also uses crutches or a walker for walking.
This time, Tien Tsung Shu from Taiwan and Kohei Matsubara from Japan took on the challenge. Tien Tsung Shu has 10th thoracic vertebrae damage, and Kohei Matsubara has 1st lumbar vertebrae damage, both resulting in lower body paralysis. They usually live in a wheelchair. They practiced for the award and attempted tasks 1 to 6.
