Robotic assistance for performing vocational rehabilitation activities using BaxBot.

Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) refer to tasks that people do on a daily basis, such as self-feeding, cleaning the house, or bathing. These activities often require a degree of functional mobility that may be outside the ability of a person suffering from cognitive or physical impairment. This work describes methods of performing ADL's with a mobile robotic system. We examined the needs of potential users and caregivers through surveys to determine the most needed applications for robotic assistance. Using this information, we extended the functionality of our BaxBot mobile robotic system to provide meaningful, autonomous assistance in performing three specific ADL's with minimal user interaction.