Festo's ExoHand is a robotic glove designed to function as an extension of an individual's hand to provide strength and endurance. It is customized to fit the user by selective laser sintering via additive manufacturing from a 3D scan of the user's hand, and it operates independently as an exoskeleton on a human hand or remotely on a robotic arm.
When worn by a human, the fingers can be actively moved and their strength amplified, as the operator’s hand movements are transmitted to the robotic hand in real time. The polyamide exoskeleton supports the human hand and mimics its movements, while giving them additional force. With force feedback -- an aspect of haptics, or tactile feedback technology -- the human operator feels what the robot hand grasps and can safely grasp and manipulate objects from a distance.
A robotic exoskeleton uses sensors for precise orientation of all finger joints and actuators for increased power in gripping. (Source: Festo)
Eight double-acting pneumatic actuators, Festo's own DFK-10 cylinders, attached to the exoskeleton, move the fingers so that they can be opened and closed. Just like a human hand, the index finger can be pivoted to the user's right or left, and the thumb can be rotated toward the palm. Servo-pneumatic open-loop and closed-loop control algorithms are implemented on a CoDeSys-compliant controller, allowing precise orientation of each individual finger joint. This lets large amounts of force be transmitted precisely in a small space, which minimizes the risk of injury. Each hand has eight linear potentiometers as displacement sensors, and 16 pressure sensors to track the forces, angles, and positions of the fingers.
Festo, an automation technology supplier, already produces the hand's components which means it's possible that this could help keep costs down. The hand is aimed at operators in industrial assembly to give them additional force for monotonous, strenuous, and repetitive motions. It can be used for remotely manipulating a similarly equipped robotic hand, made of silicone, to grasp objects in hazardous environments.
The robotic hand can also be used with a brain-computer interface to create a closed feedback loop for helping stroke patients who are showing the first signs of paralysis. An EEG signal indicates the patient's desire to open or close his or her hand, and the ExoHand responds by performing the movement. The result is training patients to regenerate damaged connections between brain and hand. Festo is working on this application with the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience at the University Hospital Tuebingen.
Festo's other research projects include the PowerGripper, for developing new gripper systems modeled on the kinematics of a bird’s beak; the NanoForceGripper, which can grip smooth-surfaced fragile objects such as drinking glasses with very little energy expended by mimicking a gecko's sucker-like elements; and the Bionic Handling Assistant, a flexible gripping arm modeled after an elephant's trunk.
(Watch an animation of the ExoHand's operation here, and a video here.)
Chuck, glad you liked the story. There wasn't a lot of technical detail, but it may be available on the website at the link I gave: http://www.festo.com/cms/en_corp/12713.htm perhaps in the brochure, or in the components descriptions found elsewhere on the site. Let us know if you find out.
It is difficult to control motion with precision using pneumatics. How was mid stroke position control done? How about "stiffness' of position? I would have though that hydralics or servo motor would have been better.
We have standardized on FESTO cylinders & linear & rotary actuators for the past 15 or so years, and have never regretted the decision. Most applications of the FESTO devices have shown their extreme reliability during this period. Most of the machines operate 5 days per week and have experienced virtually no breakdowns to date. An occasional position sensor failure has been the most serious situation. While they may be a bit on the "pricey" side, having assurance that you will not have to fill your tool crib with spare items is a relief. At one time, as I recall, the FESTO technical rep mentioned that their motion products are designed for a 25,000 km life expectancy. I can attest that several of our installed machines have actuators which have exceeded that figure with ease, yet continue to perform with minute accuracy. Seeing this demonstration of their research ability does not surprise me.
Given the advances in this hand, it's only a matter of time before we have an entire robot that can be operated remotely by a person inside a suit covered with sensors. At that point, I would imagine we gain some significant ability to literally walk into hazardous environments.
I'd bet you're right about the commercial opportunity. However, it's worth noting that the company is already involved in such a broad number of interrelated technologies for mechatronics, as well as the other, related R&D projects mentioned, that I can imagine the hand idea might have also come from internal development efforts.
Thanks, Ann. All of those applications makes sense. FESTO must have had a significant commercial opportunity in one of these areas to develop such an extensive applications solution. It really shows how engineering know-how, in this case motion control, can be applied in a wide range of applications.
Al, the applications Festo cites are remote operation in dangerous environments, an aid to workers performing repetitive, forceful tasks, as well as for service robots aimed at the elderly, and as part of a system for helping stroke patients learn to use their hands again.
naperlou, you're right, there's been a slew of robotic hands and gloves recently that we've reported on. Seems like a growing invention/application area. I was especially intrigued by this one because it seems like quite a sophisticated design, and also because it takes advantage of additive manufacturing to custom-design and manufacture each one.
A new battery design, which replaces lithium with abundant and low-cost elemental sulfur, is still in its nascent stages but shows real promise for giving batteries more energy potential.
PTC will offer a virtual desktop environment for its Creo product design applications, potentially freeing engineers to run them from remote desktops on a variety of operating systems and mobile devices.
The push to achieving more intelligent, integrated manufacturing is putting a strong focus on networking and connectivity as key enabling technologies.
Now that solar and wind harvesting technologies are a thriving market, researchers are seeking other environmentally related energy sources for which they can create harvesting devices.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
7 
