Source: Bioservo
Left half of the picture shows factory worker. Left side shows sick person.
In Europe, North America and Japan alone, more than 50 million people are estimated to suffer from a weak hand due to illness, injury, stroke or old age. To this day, there are also still plenty of grip-intense tasks on the factory floor and in the construction sector that cause strain injuries for workers.
Bioservo developed a glove (SEM™Glove) and later a hand (Carbonhand®) that provide extra muscle strength and endurance in the hand. Today, Bioservo is even capable of reinforcing the muscle strength of an entire human arm (Ironarm®) so it is capable of deploying 5 times the strength of a 30-year-old man.
Other robotics solutions are typically bulky, rigid and heavy systems that can provide the required grip force but are not comfortable to wear in daily life. Bioservo’s wearable solutions are lightweight, flexible at the joint, intelligent and as comfortable to wear as clothing. The patented SEM™ (Soft Extra Muscle) technology introduces an “intention detection” logic that activates the support only if the wearer initiates movement. Sensors detect the user’s action and strengthen this action by activating the motors. These respond immediately, and in a natural way, to facilitate the intended movement. The smart devices detect when the user grasps an object, and the harder the user grasps the more power is provided. The devices can be adjusted and fine tuned to the wearers needs and prerequisites via an app on your iPhone and Android devices.
Bioservo has partnered with Airbus, NASA, General Motors, General Electric, Eiffage and several renowned healthcare institutions and distributors to commercialise its solutions worldwide. Today, these products are successfully deployed in the medical and industrial sector. In the medical field, they help people with an impaired hand function (e.g. after a stroke), they assist elderly (e.g. reducing the risk for injuries from falling) and they speed up recovery after an injury. In the industrial sector, they are supporting workers in the construction sector and on the factory floor to prevent injuries and stay healthy when carrying heavy loads or performing grip-intensive tasks.
Check out the testimonials, photos and videos on the Bioservo website: www.bioservo.com