Researchers have developed a wearable fabric-based robotic glove that combines pneumatic actuators with voice-bending signal fusion control to assist stroke patients with daily living activities. The system addresses limitations of existing soft robotic gloves, such as poor adaptability, low portability, and control methods that require the healthy hand or rely on unstable signals.
Key takeaways
- The glove uses a segmented compact bellows actuator made from elastic bands, hook-and-loop fasteners, and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), designed to match the natural multi-segment bending and skin stretching of human fingers.
- In testing, the actuator extended by 63.3% at 150 kPa, and a tightly spaced bellows design (0.5 cm between folds) delivered a tip force of 20.03 ± 0.02 N, outperforming wider spacing variants.
- The control strategy fuses voice commands with bending signals from flexible sensors on the affected hand, eliminating the need for the healthy hand, reducing calibration time, and avoiding pre-programmed gestures.
- Comparative experiments showed higher average intention recognition than healthy-hand button control, affected-hand EMG control, and single-voice control. Real stroke patient trials confirmed effective assistance in tasks like opening a bottle.
This work highlights a path toward more natural, portable, and user-friendly assistive devices for hand rehabilitation and daily support, with potential integration into broader robotic assistance systems for manufacturing and healthcare settings.
Source: 《机器人》期刊 (robot.sia.cn) · Published 2026-03-15 · “一种用于日常生活活动辅助的可穿戴织物机器人手套”