Stroke survivors regain grip on life with game-changing ‘Smart glove’

Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide, every year. One of the most common and devastating consequences of stroke is the loss of hand function, which can severely impair the ability to perform daily activities and reduce the quality of life. However, a new wearable tech developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) may offer hope for stroke survivors who want to regain their hand functions.

The that can track and transmit the hand and finger movements of the wearer during rehabilitation exercises. The smart glove is part of a pilot study involving a group of stroke survivors in B. C.

this month. They will wear the glove while doing exercises supervised by Dr. Janice Eng, a professor of medicine at UBC and a renowned stroke rehabilitation expert.

Dr. Eng says the smart glove can help monitor the patient’s progress and provide feedback for improving exercise programs. “With this glove, we can monitor patients’ hand and finger movements without needing cameras.

We can then analyze and fine-tune their exercise programs for the best possible results, even remotely,” she says. The smart glove results from a collaboration between Dr. Eng and Dr.

Peyman Servati, an electrical and computer engineering professor at UBC, and Arvin Tashakori, his Ph. D. student.

They are also the founders of Texavie, a startup specializing in smart textiles and wearable devices. The smart glove is made of a stretchy fabric that contains a network of sensor yarns and pressure sensors. These sensors can detect and capture even the smallest hand and finger movements and grasping force and wirelessly transmit them to a computer or a smartphone.

Dr. Servati and his team published a paper in last week describing the smart glove’s technical details and breakthroughs. “This is the most accurate glove we know of that can track hand and finger movement and grasping force without requiring motion-capture cameras.

Thanks to the machine learning models we developed, the glove can accurately determine the angles of all finger joints and the wrist as they move. The technology is highly precise and fast, capable of detecting small stretches and pressures and predicting movement with at least 99-percent accuracy—matching the performance of costly motion-capture cameras,” they write. The smart glove also has other advantages over existing products in the market.

It is wireless and comfortable and can be easily washed after removing the battery. Dr. Servati and his team have developed advanced methods to manufacture smart gloves and related apparel locally at a relatively low cost.

The smart glove is a tool for stroke recovery and a game-changer for other fields involving involvement and interactions. Dr. Servati says he envisions a seamless transition of the glove into the consumer market with ongoing improvements in collaboration with different industrial partners.

He also sees potential virtual and augmented reality applications, animation, and robotics. “Imagine being able to accurately capture hand movements and interactions with objects and have it automatically display on a screen. There are endless applications.

You can type text without needing a physical keyboard, control a robot, or translate American Sign Language into written speech in real-time, providing easier communication for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing,” he says. The smart glove is a remarkable example of how interdisciplinary research can lead to innovative solutions that can improve many people’s lives. The researchers hope their technology will inspire more research and development in smart textiles and wearable devices.

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