Kinova is a Canadian robotics company that designs and produces personal robots. Kinova is the company behind the Jaco robot. This robotic arm comes in two different editions - one developed for research purposes and one developed for rehabilitation purposes.
The rehab edition, as it is called, can be mounted on a person’s electric wheelchair. This robotic arm was designed for people who suffer from upper body disabilities and gives its user the freedom to do daily activities without the help of caretakers. The control system is equal to that of the powered wheelchair on which it is mounted. Since the controls are easy to learn, it usually takes a couple of minutes to get used to it. This lightweight arm can lift anything up to 1.5 kilos with its 3-finger flexible hand - it can pour a glass of water or pick up a book.
Not only can this arm be used in the house, it can be used outdoors also. Carbon fiber exterior protects the device, so it can be used in all the weather conditions. It is also connected to the same power source as the wheelchair and it has low energy consumption, thus it can function for a long time. With a reach of 90 centimeters in all directions, Jaco is very versatile and can pick stuff of the ground or put a book in a high shelf. Jaco, the Research Edition, possesses all of the same qualities, but is optimized for research purposes.
