DORA the Robotic Arm Helps Wheelchair Users Open Doors

posted on Dec 01 by Stacy in the Technology category

A door opening robotic arm named DORA was presented at an IEEE robotics conference last week in Massachusetts by students at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The robot has many detailed functions like knowing how much force it needs to open the door, the ability to grasp many different door knobs, and how much to pull to unlatch the door.

Other types of robots that are similar cost tens of thousands or more, but DORA cost just $2,000 to build. Ted Kochanski, an engineer who also attended the conference, said the results of the robot are “very impressive.”

She also added a slip clutch to the drive system, to allow the device to hold and turn the knob at the same time as pushing or pulling.

The results are “very impressive,” says Ted Kochanski, an engineering consultant based in Lexington, Massachusetts, who was also at the conference. He said that in the past, experts have had trouble building robots that open doors because of the intelligence and coordination required.

Students and engineers hope that improvements with cameras and sensors will cut costs even more, and then maybe the DORA will be closer to becoming reality for those who need it.

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