Flexible robotic arms are always in demand, especially in manufacturing industries. This is because they come in handy for the packaging and differentiation of products. Further, they also have wide possibilities in construction and vehicle maintenance markets. However, their scope has been somewhat limited due to robots' restricted and inflexible movements.
Researchers have now introduced a bendable robotic arm that can be shaped using AR (Augmented Reality) goggles. The flexible arm can twist and spin in any direction. It has great potential within the Augmented Reality Market as it can be easily customized for use in injury rehabilitation, spaceship maintenance, and even manufacturing.
Instead of being limited by rigid limbs and stiff joints, the adjustable arm may bend into a number of configurations. People working alongside the robot may manually bend the arm into the precise shape required for each activity. This is possible due to its slick layers of mylar sheets inside, which slide over one another and lock into position. Configuring the robot into certain shapes without assistance, on the other hand, has proven to be complicated.
To improve the robot's user-friendliness, researchers created a system that allows customers to see how to customize their robot in augmented reality. Users view templates and designs projected onto their real-world environment while wearing mixed reality smart glasses and motion-tracking cameras. The robotic arm is then adjusted until it fits the template, which lights green after a successful setup. This allows the robot to be fixed into place.
One of the most difficult aspects of repositioning these robots is maintaining accuracy. Humans aren't excellent at making sure the new position matches the template. So, the team turned to AR for assistance.
They demonstrated how augmented reality could make working with the bendable robot easier. The method allows users to design a variety of simple robot positions for various purposes without requiring a lot of technical knowledge.
Vehicle maintenance, construction, and manufacturing are all possible applications. The arm's minimal weight means it could be employed on spacecraft where lightweight equipment is preferred. It's also soft enough to be employed in injury rehabilitation, assisting patients with one activity while their physiotherapist works on another. It resembles a detached, bendier third arm in many aspects. It could be helpful in a variety of scenarios when an extra limb would be useful in distributing the effort.
The team has started working on refining the robot and its augmented reality component. They'll then look into incorporating touch and audio elements into the AR to improve its accuracy in robot configuration.