3 Force amplification in assembly With the ExoHand, Festo is supporting its customers in the development of innovative solutions for human-machine interaction. Despite the high degree of automation in industry, there are still a large number of activities in assembly that can only be performed by the human operator. These include numerous repetitive tasks that easily lead to fatigue. This type of activity represents a challenge, especially to older workers. In most industrialised countries, the average age of the workforce will continue to rise over the coming years. The ExoHand thus represents a technological solution that meets the challenge of demographic change in the world of production. The system amplifies the strength of the human hand and helps employees remain in the work process for a longer time without suffering permanent physical effects. To prevent fatigue, the ExoHand can be worn for activities carried out in the assembly process, thereby functioning as an assistance system that makes for more pleasant working conditions in the assembly environment. Force feedback for safe remote manipulation When the ExoHand is used for remote manipulation of a robotic hand in an industrial setting, complex tasks in dangerous or hazardous environments for example can be performed from a safe distance. As a force feedback system, the artificial hand can greatly extend the human operator’s scope of activity in a production environment. In this scenario, the ExoHand is fitted over both the human hand and an artificial hand of silicone. It thus simultaneously functions both as the operator interface and a robotic hand. The entire artificial hand can therefore be addressed with practically all relevant degrees of freedom. This allows forces to be transferred from a different environment to the operator’s own hand in the form of force feedback; the operator has the sensation of feeling the shape of the remote object. The human sense of touch can thus be implemented over long distances and can even be applied at the interface of the real to the virtual world. The operator need no longer rely merely on his or her visual and acoustic perception, but can actually feel forms and resistances or the effects of applied forces. Power assistance: pneumatic actuators for increased gripping force Improving endurance: preventing fatigue due to repetitive hand movements Force feedback: feeling and moving without direct contact
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