Researchers at Université de Sherbrooke in Canada have developed a new robotic arm that can help you perform a wide-range of tasks, from picking fruit to holding tools, according to IEEE Spectrum.
What’s going on:
- The researchers created a new arm that can move 3.4 meters per second and lift 5 kilograms in weight. The arm itself is about the weight of a human arm.
- The arm can perform a number of tasks, according to The Verge.
- “It could mimic the wearer’s movements, speeding up jobs like picking fruit or painting. Or it could act as an assistant, holding items in a workshop or passing tools. Or it could just punch through walls — in case you have anger issues and fragile fists.”
- Per IEEE Spectrum, the arm would — in theory — be used in tandem with yourself. It’s a partner rather than accessory: “You can think of it as being able to act as a co-worker, either directly increasing productivity by performing the same task as the user in parallel, or doing some different tasks in order to free up the user to do stuff that requires creativity or judgement.”
But remember ...
- These arms aren’t exactly useable right now. The cases are hypothetical right now.
- The Verge said: “The technology isn’t ready to be dropped into factories or workshops, with control perhaps the biggest limiting factor.”
- We’ve seen similar robotics in recent years. One of which was a robotic dog that could open doors and walk around on four legs, as I wrote for the Deseret News.