A compact glove input device to measure human hand, wrist and forearm joint positions for teleoperation applications

Abstract

In this work, we have developed a new glove input device that is able to measure the angular joint positions of two fingers and of the thumb on the human hand, as well as the pitch position of the wrist and the roll position of the radio-ulnar joint of the human forearm. The glove has various new features, including the measurement of forearm roll position, that are not found in other glove input devices described in the literature. The glove contains a number of flexible, plastic bands whose displacement, during joint rotation, is measured using linear potentiometers. The new glove is light, compact, easy to wear and use, robust, and inexpensive, and is intended for use in teleoperation applications in conjunction with a remotely located robot hand/wrist. Another property is that it can be easily adjusted to fit a wide range of human hand sizes. Preliminary testing of the glove has shown that it can achieve an accuracy in position measurement that compares well to that of a number of commercially-produced gloves that are presently in use.