SAFE MOVER

Project objectives

The SAFE-MOVER Project has the ambition to analyze in depth the movements performed during patient handling and the interaction methods between healthcare professionals and patients during manual handling in order to: (i) investigate the main causes of musculoskeletal disorders, (ii) extract gesture descriptors to reproduce the correct movement with a robotic device, (iii) evaluate the user perception and (iv) design a new technology based on a user-centered approach to significantly reduce the risk and prevent the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders while caring for patients and their needs during physical and social interaction with human caregivers.

The needs of the user, i.e. patients and workers, during handling operations performed in different ways (manually, with the help of small aids and through commercial handling devices) will be analyzed through an objective evaluation of biomechanical and physiological parameters, such as posture, muscle activity, stress and perceived physical exertion in different parts of the body.

The new technology will be progressively validated on healthy subjects, simulated patients and at least one temporarily non-cooperative patient (i.e. suffering from temporary motor impairment), in an application scenario set up in the hospital facilities UCBM. The performance of the SAFE-MOVER platform will be evaluated through quantitative indicators and semi-qualitative tools aimed at assessing the effectiveness, functionality, safety and acceptability of the system by healthy subjects and patients.

Start and end date

2019 - 2021

Scientific manager

prof Loredana Zollo, Associate Professor of the Biomedical Robotics and Biomicrosystems Research Unit

Coordinating institution of the project

Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma

Other institutions involved

• Unit of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Nursing Sciences Unit

Funding source