Robotic glove technology developed out of a partnership between General Motors (www.gm.com/index.html) and NASA (www.nasa.gov) for use on the International Space Station is being brought to life in health-care, manufacturing and other applications though a licensing agreement between GM and Bioservo Technologies AB, a Swedish medical-technology company.

Working with GM, Bioservo will combine technology from its SEM Glove (soft extra muscle) technology with the RoboGlove, a ‘force-multiplying wearable’ developed during GM and NASA’s nine-year collaboration (this also included the launch into space in 2011 of Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot).

The RoboGlove uses sensors, actuators and ‘tendons’ that are comparable to the nerves, muscles and tendons in a human hand. Bioservo will initially develop a new grasp-assist device for industrial use that could increase efficiency while reducing fatigue in hand muscles. Research shows fatigue can occur within a few minutes
of continuously gripping a tool.

Tomas Ward, Bioservo’s CEO, said: “Combining the best of three worlds — space technology from NASA, engineering from GM and medical technology from Bioservo — in a new industrial glove could lead to industrial-scale use of the technology. The combination of these technologies is a major step towards introducing soft exoskeleton technology globally.”

GM intends to be the first US manufacturing customer for the refined robotic glove and will test it in some of its plants. Bioservo will make and sell the new glove for a variety of uses, including medical rehabilitation and any applications that require additional gripping strength.