CareBot-H: Enhancing Patient Transfer with Biomimetic Design and Trajectory Deformation Algorithm

Abstract

This paper introduces the CareBot-H Robot, a humanoid nursing robot designed to perform patient transfer tasks in confined environments. The robot is equipped with biomimetic arms that replicate human arm size and function, and distributed tactile sensors that enhance operational safety during physical contact. To achieve stable and anthropomorphic motion, a trajectory deformation algorithm is proposed. The method comprises an offline phase, where expert demonstrations are encoded into prior trajectories using a Variational Autoencoder (VAE), and an online phase, where a tactile-informed Zero-Moment Point (ZMP) model enables real-time trajectory adjustment. Experimental validation with human participants demonstrates that the proposed approach outperforms manual teleoperation, producing smoother and more efficient transfer trajectories while significantly reducing deviations between actual and ideal ZMP. These results indicate that the CareBot-H achieves reliable and safe patient transfer performance, offering practical potential for deployment in real-world nursing care scenarios.