I’ve just written about Real Steel inspiring a motion controlled
boxing robot and now here’s Iron Man’s suit being created by
NASA, well, the gloves anyhow. NASA and GM’s have teamed up in
order to develop a robotic glove which will make working with
heavy tools much easier. The Human Grasp Assist device, or
K-glove, or Robo-Glove (whatever they decide to call it) uses
pressure sensors in the fingertips track when the wearer grips
something and then automatically tighten actuators in the
fingers, providing extra grip. Without the glove’s assistance
the user would probably have to exert around 15 to 20 pounds of
force to grip a tool. The special gloves could be used in space
or on a factory production line and reduce the force needed to
between 5 to 10 pounds. That all adds up to less fatigue in the
hands, less injuries and more opportunity to perform tasks for
longer. Also, super-strength like gripping powers! The current
prototype weighs in at two pounds, which of course is two more
pounds the wearer has to