Deutsch (German)

1. Introduction

The patented glove is used as a computer input device for human grasping movements and hand gestures. It is equipped with different types of sensors enabling highly precise measurements (cf. Technical Data, Section 5). A closer description follows below.

2. General Description

• of the actual glove device measuring the movements of the user's hand and the pressure distribution during grasping (for this, twelve position sensors are fastened to the glove's back and twelve pressure sensors are attached to its palm); and
• of a controller digitizing the received signals. It provides a standard RS-232 serial interface for transmitting the preprocessed data to arbitrary host computers.

The twelve capacitive pressure sensors are placed on the glove's inside (cf. Fig. 1). Two sensors per finger and two on the palm sense the pressure distribution when an object is grasped.

The position sensors are fastened to the glove's back. As one can observe in Fig. 2, ten sensors measure finger flexion and two additional sensors obtain the thumb rotation. Though all the thumb's joints are measured, bending values are captured only for two joints of each of the other four fingers. By this, most finger movements can be characterized in sufficient detail. If needed, further sensors may be attached to additionally measure finger splaying and flexion of the other four topmost joints.

The method of measurement (the position sensors are inductive length encoders) ensures high resolution and mechanical robustness (=> no maintenance). Their resolution is substantially higher than that of hitherto available commercial products, as e.g. the DataGlove(TM) by VPL-Research.

Controller and sensors are connected by auxiliary circuitry. The controller digitizes the measured signals and groups the results into data tuples, whereafter they are sent to other computers via a serial interface.

The first SensorGlove was made from cotton to enable comfortable wearing over extended periods of time.

The second prototype, as displayed at the Hanover CeBIT 1995, is an improved version of the first glove. An external controlling device is no longer needed, as a microcontroller is included on the glove. The glove can communicate with other computers directly via the integrated RS 232 serial interface. The sensors were miniaturized and their electronics improved. Special new sensors measuring the glove's movements in space allow its use completely independent from any fixed location (external 3D-reference points are not needed).

The second prototype is made from Lycra so that the sensors are held in place firmly on the fingers without decreasing the usage comfort.

3. Applications

• cyberspace and virtual reality
• telerobotics (remote control of robots in space / at other locations which are difficult to access for human beings)
• (remote) control of technical devices with easy-to-learn gestures
• intuitive control of complex simulations
• control of GUIs (graphical user interfaces ) or e.g. CAD systems
• use as an universal input device for computers
• control of electronic musical instruments or music workstations / input device for analytical or artistic purposes
• medical applications (glove controlling 3D-visualizations of medical images / using the glove in diagnosis and therapy of motoric diseases, especially of the human hand)
• facilitating communication between deaf-mute or otherwise disabled and non-disabled people (gestures are recorded with the glove and translated by a computer into text or speech)

4. Current Work

Goals are:

• Further miniaturization of the electronics;
• Increasing the measurement rate to 100 measurement tuples / second;
• The optional capacitive pressure sensors are to be replaced by pressure sensors based on resistive films possessing less size and weight;
• Enhancing the spatial movement recognition systems's resolution with more sensitive sensors;
• Different glove sizes (small, medium, large) as well as a left-handed version.

5. Preliminary Technical Data

• Glove
  • Material: Lycra / Elastan
  • Weight (with electronics): approx. 150g

• Position Sensors
  • Number: 12 (max. 24)
  • Measurable degrees of freedom: 12 (max. 20)
  • Angular Resolution: (0.1 -) 1 degrees
  • Accuracy in bit: 8 (dynamically adjustable)

• Pressure Sensors
  • Number: 12 (optional)
  • Range of measurement in grams: approx. 1 ... > 5.000 (nonlinear response characteristic)
  • Accuracy in bit: 8

• Hand Movement Sensors
  • Number: 3 (optional 6)
  • Accuracy in bit: 8 (optional 16)

• Hardware
  • Interface: RS-232, max. 19.200 baud, 3-wire (TxD, RxD, GND)
  • Supply voltage: 5V
  • Supply current: approx. 200mA

Typical measurement rates for some sensor configurations (rates are dynamically adjustable):

Sensors / Tupel Size [bytes] / Measurement Rate [tuples per second] *)

12x Position / 12 / 83

12x Position, 12x Pressure / 24 / 42

12x Position, 12x Pressure, 3x Hand movement / 27 / 37

*) Typical duration of one measurement: approx. 1ms (as the measurement accuracy is dynamically adjustable, shorter periods of measurement are possible)

6. Contact

Technische Universität Berlin
Institut für Technische Informatik
Sekretariat EN10
Einsteinufer 17
D-10587 Berlin

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