Our hands. They are at work for us every day, whether at home or at work. They master all tasks throughout the day. We take them for granted and don't even think about how important they are to us. That's why it can have serious consequences if the functionality of our hands is impaired or impaired.
To help people with reduced muscle strength or additional strength requirements, a technology company from Sweden began developing and manufacturing a bionic and strength-giving product, the Ironhand®.
Bioservo Technologies AB turned to Eichenberger to further develop this revolutionary and innovative product and equip it with the perfect drive solution.
Medical expertise, robotics and computer technology - everything is combined in one product. Thanks to the passion for perfect movement, the successful collaboration between the two companies has breathed life into this magnificent innovation.
1. thanks to the Ironhand® back to a better quality of life
Weak hands can be a major obstacle for occupational groups with gripping-intensive work tasks. This can lead to pain, loss of strength or even sickness-related absences. In rarer cases, tasks may even have to be redefined or retrained. These are all issues that affect the physical or mental health of anyone affected.
It is therefore important to provide these people with the appropriate tools to enable them to manage their daily lives on their own and/or return to work. In this way, every single employee with key skills remains integrated in the world of work and companies do not lose proven employees.
The Ironhand® is precisely this aid. It is based on Soft Extra Muscle Technology. This is a modular system consisting of a glove, which covers all five fingers, and a drive system. The integrated pressure sensors are controlled by the servomotors in the device, enabling a particularly strong grip to be generated.
2. everything starts with a joint discussion
For us, the driving force behind all new and further developments is solution-oriented dialog. Our design engineers listen carefully and record all requirements. This is where answers are sought and found. According to the principle: Quality begins with the focus on our customers and ends with their satisfaction.
This was also the case in our collaboration with Bioservo Technologies AB.
3. from idea to reality
Whether unusual materials, thread forms or dimensions that are outside the norm - none of these are obstacles. Unusual geometries, custom interfaces or even special materials and hardening processes - Eichenberger is the perfect partner for your requirements. Where else would you get ball screws with the impressive dimensions of 9.3×2.125mm?
All the tools required for this are manufactured in-house to ensure a short time-to-market for all customers and thus supply them with application-optimized products with maximum precision and cost-effectiveness. This is also the case for Bioservo Technologies AB.
As the world leader in soft exoskeletons combined with motor support, the Bioservo team had the idea of developing a glove that could help prevent stress injuries, rehabilitate and support professionals with gripping-intensive work tasks.
This is where the two worlds came together and the successful collaboration to develop the perfect screw drive solution for the Ironhand®between Bioservo Technologies AB and Eichenberger, began.
4. small ball screws, big effect
The result speaks for itself. The Ironhand®consisting of a lightweight glove connected to a control unit on the wearer's back, develops a gripping force of up to 80N within milliseconds.
At the heart of this kit are five electrically driven, cold-rolled ball screw drives from Eichenberger. They convert the rotary motion of the small servomotors into a linear motion. The impressive efficiency of over 94 % ensures optimum drive performance.
The function of Ironhand® is similar to that of our hands. A hand movement is normally initiated by the muscles of the forearm and hand. These muscles pull the tendons that extend from the five fingers. Ironhand® works in the same way: the pressure-sensitive sensors in the fingertips of the glove recognize when the user grasps an object. A microcomputer calculates the required power. Servomotors drive five filigree 5 x 2 mm ball screws (Ø 5 mm, pitch 2 mm). These are connected to the fingers of the glove by thin wire strings. The fine connections move the fingers and the additional force is generated by the slim glove. The higher the pressure on the sensors, the more power the glove delivers. The Ironhand® recognizes how the user grasps an object and adapts the gripping movement intuitively and automatically.
Tailor-made-Ball screw drives make the impossible possible
Small installation space with high loads and noiseless movements in the smallest of spaces are just some of the challenges and requirements that every company has to meet when it comes to drive elements. This was also the case in the specifications of Bioservo Technologies AB.
High positioning accuracy with the smallest strokes and high dynamics in continuous operation. Not forgetting safety and reliability, of course. But the maintenance intervals, service life and costs also played a major role in the desired requirements.
Thanks to individual designs and adapted manufacturing processes, Eichenberger as a thread professional can adapt all products to the applications and make the impossible possible. This is the only way to create innovative products that bring our customers to the forefront of the market.
The one in the Ironhand® ball screw drive (Carry 20×5, cold-formed, induction-hardened) combines speed and precision in a minimum of space and therefore meets all the desired requirements. In addition, the ideal lead ratio of the spindle further increases the efficiency of the movement. "The five Swiss heroes" also impress with their low weight and increase the cost-effectiveness of the overall solution.
At the end of a successful collaboration, the customer is more than satisfied.
