A Garment-Integrated Shape-Changing Actuator for Facilitating Dressing

Dressing is a fundamental activity of daily living that becomes challenging for individuals with motor impairments, particularly when garment twisting, wrinkling, and limited armhole space hinder smooth limb insertion. This study presents a garment-integrated shape-changing actuator designed to increase localized stiffness, preserve garment structure, expand the armhole, and reduce friction between the fabric and skin. Flat-tube pneumatic actuators were embedded into a long-sleeved shirt to dynamically maintain garment geometry during dressing. Mechanical evaluations showed that actuator activation increased armhole resistance and reduced sleeve friction compared with the inactive condition. A user study involving 32 participants under normal and simulated hemiplegic conditions revealed a significant reduction in dressing time when dominant-arm impairment was simulated, alongside improved subjective ratings of dressing ease (p < 0.001). Although objective improvements were not observed for non-dominant impairment, participants consistently reported enhanced perceived ease. These findings suggest that actively maintaining garment shape can facilitate dressing motions and reduce interaction barriers between the wearer and clothing. By supporting user participation rather than replacing it, the proposed approach highlights the potential of garment-integrated soft robotic structures as an interaction-level assistive technology to support independent dressing while preserving residual functional abilities.