Robotic Arms and Chandrayaan 2
Space technology of India is being translated to innovative applications on Earth
Robots and AI have evolved in parallel as areas of research for decades. The advancement in AI is at a faster rate and robots are yet to keep pace. A chief domain where these two work hand in hand for the welfare of humanity is the applications of exoskeletons. Exo skeletons are a blessing to people incapable of performing daily tasks due to disability, illness or old age. With AI incorporated in them, they become powerful aids for the needy.
Muscle monitor:
Recovery of movement-related functions after stroke and its assessment are highly crucial for restoring activities of daily living of the patients. Majority of the stroke survivors have upper-limb associated symptoms after undergoing an acute stroke. Prof Ashish Dutta and Prof K S Venkatesh of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur are proud of their recent invention, the world’s first Robotic Exoskeleton for people paralysed due to stroke. The exoskeleton is designed for the rehabilitation of those people.
How does the Robotic Arm of IIT Kanpur Work?
- A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) acquires the brain signals using an EEG (electroencephalogram) device which is worn on the head.
- The signals are transferred to a two-fingered device worn by the patient.
- A sensor senses the finger-tip pressure of the patient and helps by opening and closing the thumb and the forefinger.
- A computer receives and analyses the Anthropomorphic Feedback from the machine.
Flex it:
Prof Asish Dutta, the coordinator of the IIT Kanpur Centre for Mechatronics said that this invention doubled their joy due to its connection with the spacecraft, Chandrayaan 2. The duo designed two subsystems for Pragyan, the six-wheeled Lunar Rover designed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for making the vehicle able to go one point to another. The exoskeleton is modelled on the same mechanism used for the Lunar Rover.
The mechanism of exoskeleton has a light-based sensor to sense obstacles in its way. In Chandrayaan 2, to help the rover move safely between one point to another, a scanning laser surveys the surface of the moon for obstacles. It makes a 3D map of the surface and plans a safe route. This prevents the vehicle from toppling and take necessary steps if it comes across any obstacle in its way.
What next?
Prof Dutta informed that they are now eyeing the medical utilisation of the technology starting from India and the UK on a large scale. Keeping in mind the financial conditions of the patient, the device will cost only 15,000 Indian rupees.
Automatic robotic grasping of arbitrary objects even in completely known environments still remains a challenging problem. The constantly changing human body can only be translated to robotics through the lens of ever-growing AI.
Originally published at https://medium.com on October 29, 2019.
Jasmine Jerry is a third-year undergraduate pursuing Aerospace Engineering passionate about robotics and unmanned systems. She spends most of her time on soccer-playing robots or aerial vehicles. She also is a member of Lean In Chapter at IIT Kharagpur.
