RoboGlove – A Grasp Assist Device for Earth and Space
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The RoboGlove is an assistive device that can augment human strength, endurance or provide directed motion for use in rehabilitation. RoboGlove is a spinoff of the highly successful Robonaut 2 (R2) system developed as part of a partnership between General Motors and NASA. This extremely lightweight device employs an actuator system based on the R2 finger drive system to transfer part or the entire grasp load from human tendons to artificial ones contained in the glove. Steady state loads ranging from 15 to 20 lbs. and peaks approaching 50 lbs. are achievable. Work is underway to integrate the RoboGlove system with a space suit glove to add strength or reduce fatigue during spacewalks. Tactile sensing, miniaturized electronics, and on-board processing provide sufficient flexibility for applications in many industries. The following describes the design, mechanical/electrical integration, and control features of the glove in an assembly-line configuration and discusses work toward the space suit application.
Description
Myron A. Diftler, NASA Johnson Space Center, USA
Lyndon B. Bridgwater, NASA Johnson Space Center, USA
Jonathan M. Rogers, NASA Johnson Space Center, USA
Evan A. Laske, NASA Johnson Space Center, USA
Kody G. Ensley, NASA Johnson Space Center, USA
Jason H. Lee, NASA Johnson Space Center, USA
Christopher A. Ihrke, General Motors, USA
Donald R. Davis, General Motors, USA
Douglas M. Linn, General Motors, USA
The 45th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Bellevue, Washington, USA on 12 July 2015 through 16 July 2015.