General Motors‘ newest announcement to develop a robotic power glove for usage in factories technically makes its users rather of a cyborg. However we’re putting paranoia about the robot armageddon aside here, because the RoboGlove looks actually helpful.
The brand-new RoboGlove belongs to a development deal between General Motors and Swedish business Bioservo Technologies. General Motors’ contribution returns to a NASA project called Robonaut 2, a humanoid help robotic that survives on the International Space Station. Think of it like C3PO, but less fussy and actually beneficial. General Motors established the finger actuators for R2, and later on used that principle for early versions of a force-multiplying glove for human use. Earlier variations were named Robo-Glove, or K-Glove.
Bioservo presently makes grip-assist gloves utilizing what it calls SEM (soft additional muscle) innovation, which enables a slim, soft glove that decreases muscle fatigue or offers additional hand strength. The newest RoboGlove adds the feedback technology and additional power from Robonaut 2 for an industrial-strength application. It’s a system that includes a belt-mounted battery pack, a forearm sleeve with actuators, and a glove with sensing units and palm assistance.
The advantages are evident. Any factory task that includes heavy lifting or a firm grip, such as moving heavy parts or protecting device tools, is now simplified with the RoboGlove. Having the robot glove do the majority of the work can increase safety and has the prospective to decrease repetitive-stress injuries. Plus, if you integrate RoboGlove with Honda’s Walking Assist Device, we’re getting even better to Ripley’s power loader from Aliens.
General Motors states it plans to evaluate RoboGlove in some of its plants, while Bioservo will likewise market the glove for medical rehabilitation and other purposes.
