Wearable tech will create super-human strength

Jaguar Land Rover plans to collaborate with robotics researchers at Harvard University, as part of an effort to develop next generation technologies to create super- human strength in the factory of the future.

The four-year research project will explore how advances in wearable soft robotics and artificial muscle technologies can be used to enhance the wellbeing of employees as well as deliver increased manufacturing capability and quality. A key part of the project will be on foundational technologies such as soft actuators, stretchable sensors, energy harvesting, and soft electronics.

Soft robotic systems incorporate active controls and soft components that can deform under pressure and return to their original shape. On the factory floor, soft robotic devices could uniquely enable close interactions of humans and automated machines. Moreover, soft robotic wearables could accelerate operator capability, while reducing physical strain and risk of repetitive strain injuries. It is anticipated that the inherent safety afforded by compliant components will allow Jaguar Land Rover to transform manufacturing to create quieter, safer, and more efficient working environments.

The collaborative research project is among the first to be initiated under a strategic research alliance between Harvard University and several Tata companies, including Tata Sons, Tata Communications, Tata Steel, and

Jaguar Land Rover, launched in summer 2016.

The research at Harvard will be jointly led and directed by Conor J. Walsh, PhD, and Robert J. Wood, PhD, at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, where both are Core Faculty members.

“Our efforts in soft robotics have led to a number of enabling technologies that are widely applicable to medical and consumer devices. This new project with Jaguar Land Rover allows us to explore new soft robot technologies with an eye on industrial applications,” said Wood, who is also Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

“Collaborating on research with a global automotive manufacturer is extremely exciting as it gives us perspective on real needs in a sector traditionally served by more conventional ‘rigid’ robots. We envision soft robots operating in close proximity with workers on complex assembly tasks to enable unprecedented levels of efficiency and safety,” he concluded.