March 14, 2012

GM and NASA jointly develop Robo-Gloves for human use

by ruchi

General Motors teamed up with NASA to develop a new robotic glove which will help reduce fatigue for both astronauts and autoworkers. This was born out the Robonaut 2 project between the two companies, which had earlier sent a robot into space. Hailed as Human Grasp Assist Device it was part of the human-like robot R2 project’s design to be able to use tools made for humans, which had very successful results. The glove here would aid human effort and act to reduce the amount of force required for a human to operate the tools.

Also referred to as Robo-Glove or K-glove, this has the potential, as said by GM’s executives, to 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. For the current prototype, GM and NASA have submitted 4 patent applications. The latest version is about 2 pounds in weight, and is powered by a lithium-ion battery, and features a small display for necessary functions whereas the upcoming version is expected to be even lighter.

Via: AutoBlog