Background: Stroke patients commonly experience functional declines in balance and gait due to decreased muscle strength and coordination issues caused by brain damage. Through repetitive training, robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) can aid in promoting neuroplasticity in stroke patients and help them acquire effective gait patterns. Additionally, convalescent rehabilitation hospitals help to ensure rapid recovery through intensive rehabilitation training. Objects: This study investigated the effects of RAGT frequency on gait and balance recovery in stroke patients in convalescent rehabilitation hospitals, providing data to optimize rehabilitation efficiency, enhance functional recovery, and support the development of personalized strategies to ensure safer and more rapid returns to daily life. Methods: This study compared the frequency of RAGT by analyzing a group receiving two units of RAGT per day for 5 days per week with a group receiving two units of RAGT per week as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation program, totaling 16 units daily, in a convalescent rehabilitation hospital. Results: In the 10-minute walking test, statistical significance was observed both within and between groups, whereas the Functional Ambulation Category, Fugl-Meyer Assessment–lower extremities, Berg Balance Scale, and timed up-and-go tests showed significance only within groups. Conclusion: End-effector RAGT and traditional gait training significantly improve gait ability, balance, and lower limb function in stroke patients.

Robots equipped with artificial intelligence technology include learning functions. Purely inductive learning methods formulate general hypotheses by finding empirical regularities over the trainning examples. Purely analytical methods use prior knowledge to derive general hypotheses deductively. Therefore, when the physical environment of a robot is complex, there is a problem of increased computational time required for information processing. In particular, when a large number of robots transmit information, more computational time is required for information processing. The distance-based topological method proposed in this paper first constructs the topology based on the distances between robots, and then generates information weights according to the stages of the topology. The technique proposed in this paper has been experimentally confirmed to have excellent performance in environments with a large number of robots and complex physical conditions.

In this study, power generation characteristics based on water flow dynamics in a pipe system with a mobile firefighting robot were analyzed using 3D CAD modeling and computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulations. The water flow field which is significantly affected by applied pressure, generates mechanical torque at the turbine blades, enabling power generation. The inlet pressure of the flow field was set to approximately 6 to 12 bar, and the flow characteristics such as velocity, pressure, and mass flow rate, along with power generation characteristics, were analyzed under various turbine rotational velocities. It was observed that higher inlet pressures resulted in increased torque and mechanical power output at the turbine blades. This research is expected to serve as a fundamental design and data reference to improve the performance of firefighting robots at fire sites.

본 연구의 목적은 로봇 제작 프로그램이 초등 저학년의 사회성 향상에 미치는 영향을 알아보는 것이다. 연구 대상은 U시의 J교육원에서 또래관 계의 어려움을 경험하고 있는 초등학교 저학년을 대상으로 하였다. 아동 과 보호자의 동의를 받은 최종 20명을 실험집단 10명, 통제집단 10명으 로 구성하였다. 실험집단에게는 로봇 제작 프로그램을 주 2회(회기 당 60분) 총 12회기를 실시하였으며, 실험·통제집단 모두에게 프로그램 효 과성을 검증하기 위해 사회성 검사를 프로그램 전후로 실시하고, 프로그 램 종료 후 4주 뒤에 추후 검사를 통해 효과의 지속성을 확인하였다. 로 봇 제작 프로그램을 실시한 결과 실험집단의 사회성이 향상되었으며 프 로그램 종결 후에도 효과가 지속되는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 로봇 제 작 프로그램으로 아동의 사회성 향상을 위한 다양한 연구와 교육 현장과 보건복지부의 지원 사업 중 아동의 정서 및 심리의 문제를 해결할 수 있 는 프로그램으로 활용 될 수 있을 것으로 기대한다.

This study selected two labor-intensive processes in harsh environments among domestic food production processes. It analyzed their improvement effectiveness using 3-dimensional (3D) simulation. The selected processes were the “frozen storage source transfer and dismantling process” (Case 1) and the “heavily loaded box transfer process” (Case 2). The layout, process sequence, man-hours, and output of each process were measured during a visit to a real food manufacturing factory. Based on the data measured, the 3D simulation model was visually analyzed to evaluate the operational processes. The number of workers, work rate, and throughput were also used as comparison and verification indicators before and after the improvement. The throughput of Case 1 and Case 2 increased by 44.8% and 69.7%, respectively, compared to the previous one, while the utilization rate showed high values despite the decrease, confirming that the actual selected process alone is a high-fatigue and high-risk process for workers. As a result of this study, it was determined that 3D simulation can provide a visual comparison to assess whether the actual process improvement has been accurately designed and implemented. Additionally, it was confirmed that preliminary verification of the process improvement is achievable.

Purpose: To determine whether artificial -intelligence quarantine robots can positively contribute to environmental management in medical institutions. We conducted in-depth interviews to understand the experiences of hospitalized patients receiving environmental management from such robots. Methods: Data were collected during March 20~May 20, 2023. individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 hospitalized patients, who could provide specific details of their experience of receiving environmental management from a quarantine robot. Results: Qualitative content analysis identified four themes, including “First encounter with an amazing and new quarantine robot,” “Efficiently performs non-face-to-face quarantine work in hospitals,” “Problems with quarantine robots,” and “Recommendations for improving the functionality of quarantine robots in medical institutions so quarantine robots and humans can coexist.” Conclusion: Currently, quarantine robots have limited functionality, and additional research is needed to identify various other functions in consideration of future infectious disease situations and the level of quarantine appropriate in a hospital.