An extra pair of hands: researchers have created a backpack with a mechanical manipulator

Robotics researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have come up with an innovation based on a well-known modular robot developed a few years ago.

The robot, originally resembling a snake, was designed for rescue operations to squeeze into hard-to-reach places, as well as for activities that can be hazardous for humans, such as engineering infrastructure inspections. During research, scientists realized that it would be a good idea to make the robot modular, so that damaged parts could be easily replaced with new ones.

This gave rise, a few years ago, to a whole new segment of robotics. Combining modules, the CMU staff have created a true family of various devices, for example a hexapod spider robot and other amazing gadgets.

The researchers have recently impressed us with one more innovation: a robotic arm mounted to a backpack and operated via a gamepad. It is easy to figure out that it will be indispensable for performing tasks which cannot be done by human hands. The project’s author is Julian Whitman.