SawStop GIF

[mklotz]

The patent talks about detecting a current between the saw blade and the operator. Presumably the gloves are waterproof (else why wear them) so I'm guessing that operation depends on the gloves being wet (and salty) enough on the surface to conduct. If the operator has just donned new gloves he best be careful.

Actually, the real safety action to be taken here is to demand a little less of the operators so they can slow down a bit and not propel their extremities rapidly toward the blade.

[Jon]

Agreed, plus conductive boots. From the patent:



If the operator slowed down, he'd never achieve internet GIF fame! I believe this is done without any automatic blade stopping tech:

[Moby Duck]

I like this invention and it is better than nothing, the blade clamp mechanism is the best part of it, but I think that it has very little to do with the glove conductivity. I believe that the blade must start cutting human meat before it activates, otherwise it would activate with a circuit through the animal meat if held with the fingers too close to the blade. The gloves don't seem to have wires attached so are probably insulators, insulating the electrified operator from a possible current path through the carcass. The advantage of this is that it would still work if the operator slipped and presented his shoulder, arm or face to the blade. It did make a shallow cut in the dummy finger/sausage in the glove and I don't think that that is good enough. The faster the operator, the deeper the cut will be. It should never be acceptable for a safety device to just hurt you a little bit. The legal speak in the patent is unbelievable so I may have missed something here. If I was re-designing this I would use optical sensors that sensed the glove, perhaps by colour, when it was at least 6" in front of the blade, and with a good safety margin on the sides. A complete optical no go area, colour sensitive corridor, could be formed anywhere in front of the blade. Then 15ms would be more than enough time to clamp the blade without damaging the operator. Perhaps blue clothing could also be worn to protect arms and shoulders from an accidental fall into the blade.

[Frank S]

I am going to have to agree with what others have been saying all along allow the operation to be slowed to a still respectable but much safer pace.
I've tried to never place my hands any where near things sharp or fast enough to remove digits. I prefer to use push blocks or holding devices instead of fingers near rotating blades or bands
There is a very old saying haste makes waste
Maybe situations like the high speed meat cutting operations would be a good place to create a fully automated robotic system.
I once watched the goings on in a fish processing factory the workers men and women wielded huge knives as sharp as any surgical scalpel with blindingly blurring speeds sometimes only a couple of millimeters away from the fingers on their other hand slicing up ice cold fish into filets Sometimes they wold slice off s couple layers of skin and not even know it until they started to bleed. The tips of many workers fingers were blunted and squared off from previous encounters with a blade and yes some were missing a lot more than just their finger tips.

[Christophe Mineau]

Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks like the glove of the demo does not contain a real finger, but more probably a sausage ...
It reminds me of a similar system for the table saw

[Frank S]

Yes in the video with the band saw it was a sausage in the glove they said as much.
Having technologies to stop the blades is a good thing not getting yourself in harms way is even better not having to move at such a fast pace that a minor error in judgement or micro momentary lack of concentration which leads to disastrous injuries is even better
Hobbyist should never be in such a hurry to complete a project that can lead to injuries. plus should never allow distractions in their work places such as children spouses and friends to be talking or running around them while they are doing potentially dangerous tasks .or making critical cuts or measurements.

[Jon]