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A Systematic Review of Commercial Smart Gloves: Current Status and Applications
Manuel Caeiro-Rodríguez1, Iván Otero-González1, Fernando A Mikic-Fonte1
1atlanTTic Research Center for Telecommunication Technologies, Universidade de Vigo, 36312 Vigo, Spain.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 30, 2021
Summary
Commercial smart gloves for human-computer interaction are reviewed, focusing on motion tracking, kinesthetic, and tactile feedback. Despite advances, these smart gloves are not yet mainstream, highlighting a need for better selection models.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Wearable Technology
- Robotics
Background:
- Smart gloves aim to enhance human-computer interaction through hand and finger movement tracking.
- Despite 40 years of development, smart gloves have not achieved widespread adoption.
- Recent advancements have led to improved smart glove devices for research applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current commercial smart gloves.
- To focus on three key capabilities: pose estimation/motion tracking, kinesthetic feedback, and tactile feedback.
- To propose a reference model for hand and finger movements (degrees of freedom).
Main Methods:
- Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines (2015-2021).
- Identification and inclusion of 24 commercial, portable smart gloves meeting specific criteria.
- Analysis of technologies, applications, and current development status.
Main Results:
- 24 commercial smart gloves were identified based on inclusion criteria.
- The review covers hand/finger pose estimation, motion tracking, kinesthetic, and tactile feedback.
- A reference model for hand/finger movements is proposed.
Conclusions:
- Smart gloves offer significant potential for human-computer interaction but face adoption challenges.
- There is a clear need for reference models to aid users and researchers in selecting appropriate smart glove devices.
- Further development is needed to make smart gloves mainstream.
