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IPN Students Build Assistive Robot for People With Lower-Limb Disabilities

The Mexico-built prototype aims to offer a lower-cost option to imported assistive devices.

Overview

  • The prototype, detailed Monday by several outlets, picks up and carries everyday items like medicine, books, and cups for users with limited leg mobility.
  • Built at IPN’s UPIITA, it uses omnidirectional wheels and a SCARA arm with a gripper to reach objects between 60 centimeters and one meter high.
  • The team tested control with a volunteer who has congenital muscular atrophy in the legs and adapted operation to a video‑game controller the user can handle by hand.
  • Two cameras and four ultrasonic sensors provide a live view on a phone, and ROS‑2 software, a common robotics platform, with Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi supports navigation, mapping, and object recognition.
  • Motors powered by two 12‑volt lead‑acid batteries give about 12 hours of use, and the students present it as a working prototype to expand access to assistive tech in Mexico.