Students at the University of Massachusetts have developed a low-cost robotic arm that is capable of opening doors for wheelchair users. The special grippers on the robot arm that they have created can calculate the amount of force needed to open and unlatch the door. How well does this arm work? They have tested it on 14 different types of door handles with a success rate of 85 percent with pushing the door and 65 percent with pulling the door, which is amazing considering that this arm uses a single motor and no elaborate cameras or sensors. With a build cost of $2000, this is an impressive achievement compared to more expensive robotic arms that are currently available. Let us hope that these students can develop and refine this arm for consumer use.
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