La Festo has just produced a demo showing the new features of ExoHand, its robotic arm.
The latest version of ExoHand, an exoskeleton that supports the hand from the outside to give it more strength, resistance and dexterity really impresses.
Here is a video showing the system in action, and how it can be used both in presence and to manipulate objects remotely.
ExoHand literally gives you a hand. With all fingers.
ExoHand from Phaistos is a exoskeleton which can be worn as a glove. The fingers can move with great freedom and naturalness, and their strength is amplified.
The operator's movements are recorded, mapped and transmitted to the robotic hand in real time.
The pneumatic system can support the hand from the outside. The engineering team at Festo is in Apple mode (like “this is the best ExoHand ever”) and therefore full of information on design, functions and features.
“With the help of ExoHand, the fingers move freely, and the exoskeleton can both move accordingly and mimic hand movements. On a technical level, the operator feels everything that the robot holds: the sense of touch can also be perceived from a distance, or in a virtual environment."
The shape of ExoHand adapts to the hand thanks to the laser-preformed polyamide structure. The movements are guaranteed by 8 pneumatic actuators. Parameters such as force, twist angle and distance are mapped and managed by sensors. A control system continuously records and professes the position of the arm and the applied force, constantly aligning itself with the human hand wearing the exoskeleton.
With ExoHand, Festo continues its efforts in the field of human-machine interaction: the goal is to broaden the range of actions that humans can undertake.
