What do designing an innovative exoskeleton and recycling LEDs have in common? Nothing, except that both topics are among the subjects studied at Arts et Métiers laboratories.
Rehabilitation after a stroke with an exoskeleton
Developing an exoskeleton for the rehabilitation of hemiplegic patients is the goal of the Carnot RehabByExo project, which is currently being worked on by the "sport, mobility, and disability" team at the Georges Charpak Institute of Human Biomechanics (IBHGC).
This project, led by the Laboratory of Automation, Mechanics, and Industrial and Human Computer Science (LAMIH), is being carried out in collaboration with four other Arts et Métiers laboratories Arts et Métiers LAMPA, I2m, LCPI, and Lispen), in partnership with the Bordeaux University Hospital.
"The innovation consists of using an exoskeleton for rehabilitation specific to hemiplegic patients following a stroke," explains Hélène Pillet, senior lecturer at IBHGC. A robotic device will enable more intensive and appropriate training. In addition, it will improve patient motivation by incorporating technologies such as virtual reality. However, exoskeletons still need to be improved to make them easier to use, particularly in terms of their portability and the interaction between the device and the human user.
The Carnot RehabByExo project aims more specifically to overcome the technological barriers associated with integrating humans into the device, particularly from a control perspective.
The IBHGC will be responsible for conducting various experiments and biomechanical analyses on successive versions of the exoskeleton developed as the project progresses. These experiments will be used to specify the assistance required for rehabilitation (actuation and control).
Started in 2019, this project is expected to be completed in 2023.
"The 'sport, mobility, and disability' team is working to improve assistance and compensation measures for people with disabilities," continues Hélène Pillet. In addition to exoskeletons, this particularly involves external prostheses and wheelchairs.An innovative prosthesis that we have designed is currently in the clinical trial phase. Its advantage is that this device reproduces the knee-ankle synergy and simulatesthe movements of these two joints as closely as possible to those of natural joints.
Called the Microprocessor-Controlled Ankle Prosthetic System, this "bionic leg" is the result of a collaboration between a company (Proteor), the Center for Studies on Equipment for the Disabled (Institution Nationale des Invalides), and the French Defense Procurement Agency.
"In addition, in 2019 we launched an ANR project aimed at quantifying, from a biomechanical perspective, the difficulty of traveling in a wheelchair," continues Hélène Pillet. "The goal is to choose the best routebased on this criterion, depending on the disability,in order to improve accessibility."
This project, with a total budget of €600,000, is being carried out in collaboration with the Laboratory of Automation, Mechanics, and Industrial and Human Computer Science, the École Normale Supérieure de Rennes (ENS/IRISA), and the National Institution for Disabled Persons/Center for Studies and Research on Equipment for the Disabled (INI/CERAH).
LEDs: it's time to recycle
The development of LED bulbs has reduced energy consumption for lighting buildings, cities, and transportation. This raises the question of recycling, for which there is currently no effective technical solution. These bulbs are made up of many components and materials, making them more difficult to recycle than traditional bulbs.
This is a particularly important issue because LEDs contain critical raw materials, such as copper, which are in limited supply. Recycling them will therefore enable Europe to develop new secondary resources for the circular economy.
This is the objective of the European Redled (Recycling EnDoflife LED) project, in which the I2M (Institute of Mechanics and Engineering) laboratory on the Bordeaux campus is participating, along with the University of Bordeaux (France), the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (France), Coolrec (Netherlands), Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (Belgium), Wuppertal Institut fuer Klima, Umwelt, Energie GmbH (Germany), and MTB Group (France).
"I2M has recognized expertise in design activities that integrate all phases of a product's life cycle, particularly recycling,"explainsNicolas Perry, a professor at the laboratory."We also wanted to involve MTB Group in this project because we had worked with them on a thesis on 'designing recycling scenarios based on process performance evaluation.' The aim was to propose analysis tools that take into account the European ETV (eco-technology verification) certification. This now enables recyclers to choose the most environmentally friendly solution based on several criteria (volume, quality, performance)."
In addition to the thesis carried out with MTB Group, the laboratory also supervised a thesis on the "development of design decision support tools driven by multi-criteria analysis of product recoverability and the implementation of eco-design guidelines for end-of-life," co-financed by ADEME and IC ARTS, as well as a thesis entitled "From waste management to supplier of secondary raw materials: development of indicators to support WEEE chain management - focus on the French system," with the company Ecologic (eco-organization for the treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment), ADEME, and the European Union's research center (JRC). These three theses were defended in 2019.
"2019 was a successful year for the laboratory and, more generally, for Arts et Métiers topics related to the circular economy, environmental and societal issues linked to end-of-life product management, and environmental assessment," Nicolas Perry continues. "In fact, the beginning of the year also saw the launch of research activities by the Urban Mining Chair with the eco-organization EcoSystem, a ParisTech chair led for Arts et Métiers the Chambéry Institute and involving researchers from the Chambéry Institute, I2M, and PIMM in Paris."
And 2020 also promises to be a busy year, with I2M organizing the 14th edition of the Society and Materials conference from May 11 to 12, 2020. This conference will focus on issues relating to resource criticality through dynamic modeling of material flows, the ability to meet material and technology needs for energy and environmental transition, and the assessment of the environmental consequences of these products and materials, using scientific and technological approaches, coupled with the perspectives of economists and sociologists (more information).
