TOMSK, Dec 4 – RIA Tomsk. Students of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) printed a manipulator in the form of a hand with a 3D-printer which is controlled remotely with the help of sensors and can be applied in industry, medicine and space, the press service of the innovative organizations of Tomsk region reported on Friday.
"The device consists of two parts: a hand made with the 3D-printer and a glove with the sensors attached to it. A person puts on the glove, and the manipulator repeats the movements of a hand. <...> (For example) it can be used as a training device for patients who need to restore muscular activity after stroke or surgery", – it is told in the message.
It is specified that the signal transmission by a hand of a person to the manipulator is made through a wireless network. The information is fixed by the sensors, then is read from them and transferred to the control system of the manipulator. If to put the touch glove on a healthy hand and a slip on a sick hand, then, repeating the movement of the healthy hand, the manipulator will help to stretch the injured muscles and to restore their tone.According to the press service, there is a lot of spheres where the manipulator can be used. The device can be also used for work in space. It would be possible to install anthropomorphous robot on the outside of the station to perform repair and other works without exit of astronauts in open space.
It is noted that this project is an educational work of the TPU students Alexander Belyaev and Kirill Orlov. It is executed with assistance of the TPU center of 3D-prototyping and presented at the stand of Tomsk region at the forum "Open Innovations" in Moscow.