Production of the Future - New Operating Concepts between People and Machines Festo AG & Co.

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Production of the Future-New Developments in Manufacturing The ExoHand Bionic Handling Assistant About ExoHand The ExoHand is a solution for future human-machine cooperation in industrial environments based on soft robotics. The ExoHand from Festo is an exoskeleton that can be worn like a glove. The fingers can be actively moved and their strength amplified; the operators hand movements are registered and transmitted to the robotic hand in real time. The exoskeletal hand has all the principal physiological degrees of freedom of its human counterpart. It thus supports the human hands diverse techniques for grasping and handling objects. The objectives are to enhance the strength and endurance of the human hand, to extend humans scope of action and to secure them an independent lifestyle even at an advanced age. Applicability of ExoHand Supports various possibilities for gripping and touching of heavy and hazardous substances The ExoHand is an exoskeleton that is individually adapted to the human hand. The exoskeleton is a structure that supports the human hand externally and simulates the physiological degrees of freedom of the hand. This concept is very much applicable in the industry related to heavy material manufacturing and repeated processes Power boost in assembly Despite a high level of automation, there are still many assembly tasks in industry that can only be performed by humans. Many of these are repetitive tasks that cause fatigue and can be particularly challenging for older members of the workforce. The ExoHand helps operators to remain working longer without incurring permanent physical damage. It can be used as an assistance system, providing enhanced strength for assembly tasks. Force feedback remote manipulation in the industrial environment When used for remote manipulation of a robotic hand in an industrial environment, the ExoHand allows complex activities in for example dangerous or hazardous environments to be carried out from some distance away. Because all joints and their actuators exist in the form of an exoskeleton outside of the actual hand, the ExoHand can be worn over a human hand or an artificial hand made from silicone. The ExoHand performs two functions here acting firstly as an interface between the operator and the control system and secondly as a robotic hand. This allows the control of a complete artificial hand with virtually all of the relevant degrees of freedom.

 Synergies in service robotics and rehabilitation With the ExoHand, Festo has not only developed an effective solution for industrial automation, but also established itself as a pioneer in the area of service robotics. When the ExoHand is used in combination with a robot in domestic or medical environments, human-like characteristics are absolutely essential. The flexibility of pneumatic systems in particular ensures reliable humanmachine interaction.

About Bionic Handling Assistant Flexible movement and precise gripping: at first glance, the Bionic Handling Assistant appears to be a resilient gripper arm whose structure and overall functional principle imitate an elephants trunk. However, above and beyond its actual benefits, the Bionic Handling Assistant is a development platform combining a wide range of technologies and components from manufacturing concepts to series products like sensors and valves, actuators and grippers, to control technology and software for developing applications and products. Applicability of Bionic Handling Assistant Continuous optimisation of the manufacturing process Manufacturing components which are dynamically pressurised is a demanding process. New exposure parameters make it more stable, thus reducing the number of rejects. By investing in research, Festo is creating a state-of-the-art manufacturing process that can be used in future especially to produce prototypes, one-offs and small series. Preparing sub-projects for series production The adaptive gripper DHDG used in the Bionic Handling Assistant is the first product which has made the leap from a future concept to series production. Festo now sells the gripper in three sizes to ensure safe and damage-free gripping of fragile and irregularly shaped work pieces or goods. Establishing the basic principles With eleven degrees of freedom, the Bionic Handling Assistant can be moved freely in all directions. Before now, no other system this flexible has permitted such precise position calculation. Using reverse transformation to determine the position in global coordinates is another innovative technology in the Bionic Handling Assistant and highlights Festos control engineering expertise. Motion control with image and speech recognition The system is now being supplemented by a simplified interface for image and speech recognition. The Bionic Handling Assistant is thus now able to autonomously grasp objects, without the need for programming or manual control.

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