GM and NASA’s ‘RoboGlove’ may soon help factory workers fight fatigue

By Stephen Edelstein July 6, 2016

GM-NASA RoboGlove and Robonaut 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Robotic glove technology developed through a partnership between General Motors and NASA is finding a new use on Earth. GM is licensing “RoboGlove,” which was developed for use on the International Space Station, to Bioservo Technologies AB, a Swedish medical tech company.

Bioservo plans to combine RoboGlove with its own SEM (Soft Extra Muscle) Glove technology to help assist industrial workers. It hopes to create a device that can improve worker efficiency while reducing fatigue in hand muscles, which can occur after just a few minutes of continuously gripping a tool, according to GM.

Recommended Videos

RoboGlove uses sensors, actuators, and tendons to mimic the operation of the nerves, muscles, and tendons in a human hand. It was part of a nine-year partnership between GM and NASA that included the launch of the Robonaut 2 (R2) robot into space in 2011. R2 was built to use tools designed for humans, so engineers had to give it human-like hands. That led to the development of the RoboGlove as a wearable force-multiplying device for humans.

Read more: Toyota reportedly in talks to buy Boston Dynamics

Back on Earth, Bioservo’s version of the RoboGlove technology will be used in manufacturing, medical rehabilitation, and other applications. In a statement announcing the licensing agreement with GM, Bioservo CEO Tomas Ward said he believes this could be the first step toward introducing soft exoskeleton technology globally.

GM intends to be the first U.S. manufacturing customer for the updated robotic glove, and will start by testing it in car factories. The carmaker previously tested the original RoboGlove in a pilot plant, but then opted to seek a partner to further develop the technology, including redesigning the hardware to fit multiple hand sizes.

GM isn’t the only carmaker investigating robotic technology. Hyundai recently unveiled a complete human-wearable exoskeleton, and Honda and Toyota have both built their own robots. It’s hard to say where all of this research will lead, but hopefully it won’t be the robot apocalypse.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Space

How the 47-year-old Voyager spacecraft are still exploring space

This archival photo shows engineers working on NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft on March 23, 1977.

The Voyager 1 and 2 probes have been on a remarkable journey. Since their launch in 1977, they have traveled through the solar system, past several of the outer planets, and headed out beyond the borders of the solar system and into interstellar space. They are the most distant man-made objects in the universe, and they are still going -- even 47 years after they first left Earth.

Keeping the old technology running for this long hasn't been easy, though. Various instruments have had to be turned off in order to save power, and the probes have had their share of computer glitches to deal with. But they continue to collect science data to this day, revealing information about the composition of space beyond the sun's influence and viewing events far beyond our planet.

Space

Astronaut’s photo shows Earth as you’ve never seen it before

Earth as seen from the space station.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit already has a long-held reputation for creating stunning space photography, and his latest effort will only bolster it.

Shared on social media on Thursday, the image (top) shows Earth as a blaze of streaking light, an effect created by using long and multiple exposures to capture cities at night across several continents.

Space

What to expect from SpaceX’s sixth megarocket test flight

SpaceX's Super Heavy launch during the fifth test flight of the Starship.

As it unleashes a record 17 million pounds of thrust at launch, the sight of SpaceX’s 120-meter-tall Starship rocket roaring skyward is something to behold.

The Elon Musk-led spaceflight company has already performed five Starship flights since the first one in April 2023, with each one more successful than the last. Comprising the upper-stage Starship spacecraft and the first-stage Super Heavy booster (collectively known as the Starship), the giant vehicle willo be used by NASA for crew and cargo missions to the moon, Mars, and possibly beyond.