GM and NASA Team Up for Stress-Relieving ‘Robo-Glove’
- Posted on March 14, 2012 at 4:37pm by
Liz Klimas
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Autoworkers and astronauts both have a similar problem when it comes to stress injuries from repetitive tasks. This led GM and NASA to team up to create a device with stress relief as its primary goal.
The two have developed a power-assisted glove — a Robo-glove or K-glove — that can help reduce load for those working on mechanics on a daily basis.
Robo-Glove (Photo: GM)
“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,” said Dana Komin, GM’s manufacturing engineering director, Global Automation Strategy and Execution, in a statement. “In so doing, it is expected to reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury.”
GM provides this example of how the glove would work:
[...] an astronaut working in a pressurized suit outside the space station or an assembly operator in a factory might need to use 15-20 pounds of force to hold a tool during an operation but with the robotic glove only five-to-10 pounds of force might need to be applied.
Here’s more from the engineers of the human-assist glove:
While you may find this collaboration unusual — a space agency and an automotive manufacturer working together — it is by no means a first. Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot that was recently launched into space, was developed by this team to be a helper for astronauts.
Robonaut (Photo: NASA Flickr/Joe Bibby)
(Related: ‘One of the highlights of the day’: First robot-human handshake in space)
The robo-glove was inspired by R2′s “finger actuation system”, which helps humans better grasp objects:
The pressure sensors, similar to the sensors that give R2 its sense of touch are incorporated into the fingertips of the glove to detect when the user is grasping a tool. When the user grasps the tool, the synthetic tendons automatically retract, pulling the fingers into a gripping position and holding them there until the sensor is released.
“The prototype glove offers my space suit team a promising opportunity to explore new ideas, and challenges our traditional thinking of what extravehicular activity hand dexterity could be,” Trish Petete, division chief, Crew and Thermal Systems Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, said in the statement.
This most recent version of the glove is the team’s second prototype — the first was released a year ago. According to GM’s statement, a third prototype is nearing completion as well that will reduce size and weight of the contraption. Current prototypes weigh about two pounds.
[H/T SlashGear]
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Macman1138
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:39pmI would use it as a marital aid (use both hands).
Report Post »Fonebone
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:44amCannot… resist… RoboGlove… making me… flip Obama… the bird!
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 12:58amRead the article. It’s for use by those using repetitive motions with hand tools. But why does it have to be so high tech when a simple fitted wrist and/or elbow brace or the like would do the job better.
Report Post »Chris
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 11:19pmSpace suits in general and the gloves on space suits in particuar have been notoriously miserable to work in. Not only are they thick but they are inflated with oxygen so every movement requires that they fight against the glove itself and the pressure in the glove. One of the Apollo astronauts had his gloves adjusted to give him better dexterity but he ended up with blood blisters under the nails on his hand.
Report Post »EZDOZIT
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 11:07pmIf there is such a thing called carpel tunnel syndrom, maybe if would be a good ideal to prevent it…just saying.
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 10:26pmFluke is demanding employers cover this as well….
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 9:05amSomehow, I think she‘d have uses for it that weren’t intended by the designers.
Report Post »goahead.makemyday
Posted on March 15, 2012 at 1:24pm“when operating a tool for an extended time or with repetitive motions,” Sorry just couldn’t help myself.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 9:52pmObviously, this glove is useless for anyone who needs to use their fine motor skills. This is a worthless product for manual labor except maybe for people who have muscular dystrophy or some similar disease that makes them less than capable of grasping objects. That said, now that they can grasp a heavy object, are the going to make a suit so that they can lift it as well?
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 8:59pmExcellent… for Close Combat… too!
Report Post »2theADDLED
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 8:55pmReal men don’t need gloves or assistance.
Report Post »2theADDLED
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 8:52pmJust put it on hit the cruise control and presto instant lubrication regulation no stress to worry about running low or over lubrication.
Report Post »TexBork
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 7:58pmIt also offers the “Happy Ending” option after s stressful day of car building, smoking dope, and drinking as per union rules and while meeting OSHA requirements for safety!
Report Post »ChazSpaz
Posted on March 14, 2012 at 10:32pmI work the line, building cars for GM. Sorry to say, but not every line employee smokes dope or runs out to their car at lunch to suck down some suds. Most of us are proud of what we build, and I would love to know how your wrist feels after driving hundreds of screws every day and feel the torque of the driver when the screw stops, it’s not a pleasant feeling. The way the line is set up, I have a whole .9 seconds to start the next car, and that is if everything goes as planned. Mess up one step and your behind. Maybe it sucks to be me, but when I see a car I might have had a part in building, it sure makes me proud. Remember it was us Americans who kicked ass in Germany and Japan during the world wars
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