Apparatus and method for assisting tool use

Apparatus for assisting tool use, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more position encoders;
• a wrist support;
• a shaft coupled to the one or more position, wherein the shaft comprises
• a coupling to couple to a tool to enable a user resting a hand with the wrist on the wrist support to hold and manipulate the tool with one or more fingers of the hand;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• receive encoder data from the one or more position encoders;
• receiving calibration data indicative of a relationship between data from the one or more position encoders and an active end of the tool;
• using the encoder and calibration data to obtain the position data indicative of a position of the active end of a tool coupled to the coupling;
• receive constraint data indicative of one or more regions of space in which the active end of the tool should not be activated;
• and
• process the position and constraint data to cause generation of a control signal for the tool to deactivate the active end when a position indicated by the position data is within a region indicated by the constraint data.

Apparatus for assisting tool use, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more motors;
• a wrist support;
• a shaft coupled to the one or more motors, wherein the shaft comprises
• a coupling to couple to a tool to enable a user resting a hand with the wrist on the wrist support to hold and manipulate the tool with one or more fingers of the hand;
• and
• a housing in which the one or more motors are disposed, wherein
• the housing defines an opening and the shaft is disposed through the slot to couple to the one or more motors;
• and
• the wrist support is provided on or by a top surface of the housing.