GAMORA: A Gesture Articulated Meta Operative Robotic Arm for Hazardous Material Handling in Containment-Level Environments

TL;DR

GAMORA is a VR-guided robotic system that uses natural gestures for precise, safe handling of hazardous materials in containment labs, integrating digital twin simulation, real-time control, and object detection.

Contribution

The paper introduces GAMORA, a novel VR-based robotic arm system that enables intuitive remote hazardous task execution with high precision and safety in biomedical labs.

Findings

Achieved mean positional discrepancy of 2.2 mm

Pipetting accuracy within 0.2 mL

Repeatability of 1.2 mm across 50 trials

Abstract

The convergence of robotics and virtual reality (VR) has enabled safer and more efficient workflows in high-risk laboratory settings, particularly virology labs. As biohazard complexity increases, minimizing direct human exposure while maintaining precision becomes essential. We propose GAMORA (Gesture Articulated Meta Operative Robotic Arm), a novel VR-guided robotic system that enables remote execution of hazardous tasks using natural hand gestures. Unlike existing scripted automation or traditional teleoperation, GAMORA integrates the Oculus Quest 2, NVIDIA Jetson Nano, and Robot Operating System (ROS) to provide real-time immersive control, digital twin simulation, and inverse kinematics-based articulation. The system supports VR-based training and simulation while executing precision tasks in physical environments via a 3D-printed robotic arm. Inverse kinematics ensure accurate manipulation for delicate operations such as specimen handling and pipetting. The pipeline includes Unity-based 3D environment construction, real-time motion planning, and hardware-in-the-loop testing. GAMORA achieved a mean positional discrepancy of 2.2 mm (improved from 4 mm), pipetting accuracy within 0.2 mL, and repeatability of 1.2 mm across 50 trials. Integrated object detection via YOLOv8 enhances spatial awareness, while energy-efficient operation (50% reduced power output) ensures sustainable deployment. The system's digital-physical feedback loop enables safe, precise, and repeatable automation of high-risk lab tasks. GAMORA offers a scalable, immersive solution for robotic control and biosafety in biomedical research environments.