Title: Design of a low-profile glove to evaluate neuroprostheses-mediated grasps

Authors: Narrendar RaviChandran; Andrew McDaid

Addresses: Medical Devices and Technologies Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Auckland, New Zealand; Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), The Academia, Level 6 Discovery Tower, 20 College Rd, Singapore ' Medical Devices and Technologies Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Auckland, New Zealand

Abstract: Fabric-based sensorised gloves are a low-cost alternative that can drive the feedback loop for neuroprosthetic systems or evaluate functional outcomes. However, their applicability to complex hand manipulation tasks is limited as the fabric imparts constraints on the hand and affects the sensors' measurement performance. This work presents the design for a rapid prototypeable low-profile glove. The primary design consideration was to house sensors to measure force at the fingertips and their joint motion. Secondly, to minimise resistance to finger movements often seen with a fabric-based glove. The proposed glove design offers 19 degree-of-freedom allowing coordinated motion of the digits and thumb. In addition, the rapid prototypability allows modifications for resizeability and integration of other sensors. The design files from this work are also made available open for researchers.

Keywords: grasp assessment; functional electrical stimulation; digit forces; goniometric glove; feedback control.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBBR.2023.135598

International Journal of Biomechatronics and Biomedical Robotics, 2023 Vol.4 No.2, pp.68 - 72

Received: 10 Oct 2022
Accepted: 19 Dec 2022
Published online: 19 Dec 2023 *

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