If you’re disabled or a lazy tech geek, DORA, a crazy awesome robotic arm that clamps to anything and can work virtually anywhere, is destined to be an exciting blip on your radar. This large robotic arm comes with a three-pronged clamp at the end; kind of like the crane in the arcade game where you pull stuffed animals out of the machine. The arm clamps to the front of a wheelchair.
Students at the University of Massachusetts (Lowell), the inventors, debuted DORA earlier this month at a robotics conference. The acronym “DORA” stands for “Doors Opening Robotic Arm.” They specifically developed the robot around two core factors, keeping the focus clear and in the end, a success: First core factor: Make sure the arm was low-cost. Second core factor: It had a sole purpose of opening doors, nothing more.
DORA works on most types of door handles. Students report it was able “to open doors with 14 different handles in 85 percent of tests involving pushing the door, and 65 percent of pulling tests." Not bad stats. So if I strapped this thing to my chair and hit the streets, it would be able to help me out more than it couldn’t.
But would I actually use DORA is the real question. It’s so large and it kind of looks like a prop from the set of Aliens. It’s HUGE (see pic above). I already have a daily internal struggle with people staring at me because of my powerchair. Imagine the looks I’d get if I showed up at a club with DORA. But on the same token, virtual doorman. That’s hard to resist.
There’s no information regarding mass production of DORA as of yet. But if it ever comes to pass, would you consider buying one?
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