With each passing year, the lines keep blurring between science fiction and reality. This week, General Motors revealed its latest toy in the form of the ‘Human Grasp Assist device’, also known as the ‘K-glove’ or ‘Robo-Glove.
The robotized glove can help auto workers and astronauts operate tools by assisting their grip and therefore, reduce the amount of hand pressure needed to be applied.
The device was jointly developed by GM and NASA, and is a spin-off of their recent Robonaut 2 (R2) project, which put the first human-like robot into space last year.
“When fully developed, the Robo-Glove has the potential to reduce the amount of force that an auto worker would need to exert when operating a tool for an extended time or with repetitive motions,” explained Dana Komin, GM’s manufacturing engineering director, Global Automation Strategy and Execution.
“In so doing, it is expected to reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury,” she added.
The first prototype of Robo-Glove was finished in March of 2011, with a second generation arriving three months later. GM said that the current prototype that is powered by a lithium-ion power-tool battery weighs about two pounds (roughly a kilo).
According to the automaker, an astronaut working in a pressurized suit outside the space station or an assembly operator in a factory typically needs 15-20 pounds of gripping force to hold a tool but the robotic glove can reduce that figure to five-to-10 pounds of force.
A video presentation of the Robo-Glove follows after the break.
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