General Motors factory workers have been given a boost with the news that the U.S. automotive giant plans to introduce robotic gloves by 2017.
The robotic gloves, which are made by a Swedish company who have been working in conjunction with NASA and General Motors, will aid factory workers as they complete basic but sometimes dangerous tasks during the auto manufacturing process.
Robotic Glove Will Reduce Workplace Injuries
The wearable technology relies on actuators, tensors and sensors which the developers have compared to a human hand’s tendons, nerves, and muscles.
GM Robotics Engineer Marty Linn says the robotic gloves are a massive step forward in reducing workplace injuries. They will also help staff to maintain productivity during repetitive grasping tasks that are physically and mentally demanding.
“They won’t have the muscular fatigue, they won’t have the same sorts of problems and potentially they will avoid injuries from having muscular fatigue.”
GM Global Manufacturing Engineering’s vice president Kurt Wiese added: “The successor to RoboGlove can reduce the amount of force that a worker needs to exert when operating a tool for an extended time or with repetitive motions.”
General Motors have already tested the glove at a preproduction plant, but needed to find a partner who would help them refine it so that it can fit various hand sizes.
RoboGlove, as the technology is so named, was patented by BioServo Technologies, a Swedish company.
