Glovitec

Abstract:
Glovitec is a glove for one or two fingers that gives people with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Osteoarthritis extra gripping strength during everyday tasks. In co-creation, together with patient experts, the needs of the patients were explored by means of interviews, creative sessions, and verification interviews according to the Context Mapping TU Delft tool. This tool provides a clear human picture of what people underlyingly desire. It inspires the designer and motivates the patients to provide expertise throughout the entire design process. It is the first wearable of this type that consists of a single unit and is therefore wearable for this specific target group; there is no separate heavy actuator or controller unit. A smart and natural way to control the device has also been found.
Patient Request
The patients are enthusiastic about a product that they can quickly put on or take off. A product that is washable, breathable, and does not cause irritation when sweating. It must also be wearable and flexible in case of swollen hands. The product must also be able to deliver enough gripping force for quick tasks in the garden, kitchen, or household.
Living Environment of the Patients
After interviews at the Rheuma House and several home visits, it becomes apparent that people with Rheumatoid Arthritis have many small aids to open jars, hold cutlery, or simply to write. Tasks such as opening a zipper, vacuuming, turning a key, cutting vegetables, carrying a shopping bag, and pressing buttons are difficult. In addition, they sometimes get tired quickly or experience a lot of pain.
Product Description
The product is a ‘Soft Robotics’ product. It provides extra gripping force by means of artificial tendons that reinforce the fingers in a natural way, similar to the tendons of the fingers. By means of a small motor and a spool, this wire is wound inside a housing at wrist level.
Wearability and natural smart control
Glovitec is a wearable that proves that with current technology the device can function completely ‘stand alone’. With both the batteries, the motor, and the control unit on the glove without it becoming too heavy or too large for the patient. Experiments were conducted with a smart natural control method, namely via an EMG armband. When the patient makes a gripping movement, the armband detects this muscle activity and the spool winds up the wire. When releasing the grip of the hand, the spool rotates in the opposite direction. During gripping, it is difficult to indicate another movement via the EMG armband. Therefore, the solution was devised to work with a ‘gesture detection ring’ that detects a gripping movement via an accelerometer and a gyroscope. It can also be simpler with a glove in which a bend sensor is placed in the fabric on one of the non-actuated fingers. When the finger then bends inward, the actuated finger grips along in the same direction as the bend that was detected.