Vision controlled robotic furniture system

Purpose Ergonomics is the engineering science that is concerned with the physical and psychological relationship be-tween machines and the people who use them. The key is to get the best out of something with the smallest possible effort. In ergonomics function is as important as aesthetics. Ergonomics is concerned with the creation of a product or an environment, where the connection between human skills and the surroundings is optimized. The aim of the proposed paper is the implementation of an ergonomic furniture system concentrating on height adjustments in particular. Method Furniture is designed to adapt to specific needs, supporting various human activities. According to the application, a set of guidelines or rules is followed during design in order to provide ergonomic features. Small or large sized furniture can be found within the household, comprising individual modules, placed at a specific height, based upon the desired func-tionality. In order to realize the proposed concept, a development approach was followed. First, thorough research was conducted to identify the actual need of such a system and define the appropriate design specifications. According to the various existing technologies and processes, the authors identified those that met the design requirements, and those better adapted to the proposed system. Once the initial concept was finalized, a series of experiments were carried out in a real environment, implementing the prototype of the proposed system. Results & Discussion The proposed robotic furniture system provides an integrated solution, consisting of reduced space utilization, modularity, and intelligent opera-tion, while respecting ergonomic principles. A set of electrical motors was used to position the various sections of th