Internet of Things Applied on Assistive Robotics

Abstract

With the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the past two decades have seen a proliferation of Assistive Technology (AT) and its enabling impact on the lives of people with disabilities in the areas of accessing information, communication, and daily living activities. Due to recent emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), the research of assistive robotics has been contributing to assisting humans to manipulate and communicate with the robot in complex unstructured environments. The ongoing revolution of Internet of Things (IoT), together with the growing diffusion of robots applied in everyday life and industry, makes Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) as the future direction for assistive robotics research. New advanced technologies and services are explored in assisting humans. This study provides an overview of the IoT and applications into robotics based on the building blocks of the IoT, along with recent trends and issues relevant to accessing technology for people with disabilities. This research also discusses the technologies in IoT that would benefit the applications of assistive robotics. The most important research challenges to be faced are also highlighted.