Patent ID: 8875322

Claim:
A method for assisting a posture transfer of a patient in a bed using a robotic posture transfer assist device, the method of assisting a posture transfer comprising: locating the robotic posture transfer assist device adjacent to the bed, the robotic posture transfer assist device comprising: a device body; a stabilizer coupled with the device body; at least one robotic arm having degrees of freedom with respect to the device body in a first, second, and third Cartesian directions and in pitch, roll, and yaw directions, wherein the robotic arm is coupled with the device body; an end-effector removably coupled with the robotic arm; a controller module that provides a control signal to control the movement of the robotic arm about the plurality of degrees of freedom; and a user input device that provides a command signal to the controller module to command the movement of the robotic arm; coupling the robotic posture transfer assist device with the bed using the stabilizer; positioning and orientating the end-effector so that it is adjacent to the patient; commanding the robotic arm to move using the user input device so that the end-effector contacts the patient; translating the patient to an adjusted posture relative to the bed; and decoupling the end-effector from the robotic arm such that the end-effector maintains the patient in the adjusted posture.