Our product name is VF 1.0, consisting of a robotic arm and a smart glove. The VF 1.0 grants the user’s hand gestures and movements to be assimilated into different moving parts of the robotic arm which overall demonstrates to mimic the user’s hand motions. It aims to benefit industrial workers by creating a safe distance between the individual and potential hazard; essentially mitigating risks. Scenarios such as nuclear plants where workers are at risks of exposing themselves to low doses of ionizing radiation. It can provide a higher life expectancy for nuclear workers. As a result, it can provide a potential benefit to higher employability in industrial workplaces. However, the VF 1.0 offers not only a single application utility but a large scale for many different industries.
VIRTUFLEX
UN SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Empowered and Driven:
Delivering Solutions for Global Issues
Good health and wellbeing: Our product focuses on creating a safe distance where the individual is away from a hazard.
Decent work and growth: It supports the creation of safer working environments by reducing human exposure to hazards, aligning with the goal of ensuring decent working conditions.
Industry, Innovation and infrastructure: Improving Health and safety regulations in industries; inviting alternative or supporting safety methods will benefit factors such as time, expenses, etc.
Sustainable cities and economies: it can offer useful for several different applications fostering economies into tech industries.
DESIGN STORY
TECHNOLOGIES
List of Essential Tools and Technologies
THE PROCESS
PROTOTYPE DESIGN
“Precision, Accuracy, and Responsiveness: These features are vital for VF 1.0 to accurately mimic the hand gestures performed by the user. By ensuring precise control over the robotic arm’s movements and a high level of responsiveness, we aim to provide a reliable, consistent, and seamless performance when handling tasks. This level of accuracy and quick response times are essential for executing intricate operations with the required level of detail and consistency, enhancing the user experience by providing immediate feedback and enabling real-time interaction with the robotic arm.
Application Needs: Prioritizing these features was essential for VF 1.0 to address the specific application needs in industries such as technological, manufacturing, and waste management. By focusing on precision, accuracy, and responsiveness, VF 1.0 aims to meet the growing demand for safer, more efficient, and reliable machinery that can adapt to the evolving technological landscape. “
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
PLEDGE
Impact on the market
``Our market of interest are technological industries, where our product can provide a solution designed for industrial applications, including robotics and human-machine interfaces. This can foster industries to seek innovative solutions that our product will resemble, aiming to improve safety regulations in workplaces. In this context VF 1.0s could present a valuable solution. However, it can provide to be a viable product for a variety of different applications unrelated to industrial use such as:
- Entertainment and media: where it can be used for props to facilitate video effects through practical means.
- Education: Provides hands-on experiences for students, sparking their interests and goals.
- Healthcare: Helps people with disabilities with daily tasks such as eating, drinking, and dressing.
- Bomb defusal: a high-risk situation in need of close interaction, this product can substitute an individual’s presence, avoiding casualties.
- Environmental Clean up: serving to dispose of hazardous waste, decontamination of polluted sites, or remediation of chemical spills.
- Research and Development: This includes laboratories for testing and experimentation involving hazardous substances, materials synthesis, etc. ``
RESULTS
FINAL PRODUCT
“We started by using FreeCAD to create accurate engineering sketches of the components that will be integrated into VF 1.0. This approach simplifies the process of generating a 3D design in Fusion 360, ensuring that sizes and fittings are suitable for assembly. It also minimizes the need for team consultations regarding dimensions for their respective tasks.
Two team members are focused on circuit functionality using the necessary equipment. By pairing sensors with motors, our goal is to ensure that each motor functions based on the respective sensor it is paired with (e.g., flex sensor & servo motor or accelerometer & servo motor). We aim to optimize synchronized functionality through code and become familiar with the electronics involved.
Meanwhile, the remaining team members are tasked with developing a design sketch to plan how the electronics will be integrated onto the glove. They are creating hand-drawn sketches and using Tinker CAD to visualize the design more effectively. Throughout this process, various considerations and ideas are being generated to address factors such as temperature and weight. The aim is to enhance comfort and functionality when worn, supporting informed decision-making.
Together, these efforts are helping us to develop VF 1.0 with a focus on precision, accuracy, and responsiveness, while also considering the integration of electronics to ensure a comfortable and functional user experience. “
