2 The ExoHand from Festo is an exoskeleton that can be worn like a glove. The fingers can be actively moved and their strength amplified; the operator’s hand movements are registered and transmitted to the robotic hand in real time. The exoskeletal hand has all the principal physiological degrees of freedom of its human counterpart. It thus supports the human hand’s diverse techniques for grasping and handling objects. The objectives are to enhance the strength and endurance of the human hand, to extend humans’ scope of action and to secure them an independent lifestyle even at an advanced age. Robotics meets orthotics Since all the joints and their drive units are located outside the actual hand in the form of the exoskeleton, this manual orthosis can be fitted not only over the human hand, but also over an artificial hand made of silicone. Using the same hardware, this enables a scenario that creates a link between robotics and orthotics in a completely new way. Pneumatic exoskeleton: flexible movement through all degrees of freedom Specific addressing of the actuators: precise orientation of all finger joints The ExoHand combines human intelligence with the capabilities of a robot. While machines are precise, robust and powerful, their responses to complex situations are limited. They normally rely on the visual and tactile perception and decision-making capacity of a human operator. From assembly to medical therapy The practical benefits for Festo lie in extending the scope of human-machine cooperation for automation technology with the addition of know-how in the fields of remote manipulation and force amplification. In this form of direct human-machine interaction, the ExoHand represents a possible technical solution to the challenges that will be faced by production and working environments of the future – both real and virtual. The medical advantages, along with an immense interest in assistance systems for automation technology, have motivated the engineers from Festo to enter into a collaboration with the Tübingen University Hospital as part of the Bionic Learning Network. New scope for interaction between humans and machines
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