Abstract
Abstract In this work, a low-priced smart fabric forcesensing glove is developed which is able to measure the total amount and direction of the force a person applies on a patient in a physiotherapeutic context. A device like this would be beneficial for the education of physiotherapists, to measure the progress of a patient and to evaluate the treatment. The proposed device uses a new sensor, which is based on a piezoresistive fabric. This fabric changes its electrical resistance according to the applied stress. The characterization of this sensor revealed that the change in resistance of the sensor is dependent of the amount of force, the loaded area, the total time the sensor is loaded and hysteresis. To compensate these behaviours, an additional sensor based on the same smart fabric was developed which measures the loaded area of the first sensor. By combining these two sensors, it is possible to calculate the applied force. The results show the feasibility to build a measurement system out of smart fabric material that can measure the applied force. Furthermore, the prototype shows promising results in determining the applied force in amount and direction.
Highlights
An improvement step in orthopaedic recovery processes would be the treatment by a physiotherapist, providing quantifiable and objective measurement options
The results show the feasibility to build a measurement system out of smart fabric material that can measure the applied force
The proposed load sensors signal is combined with a hand motion capturing system and other sensory devices to develop a concept, which is able to measure the amount and direction of applied forces
Summary
An improvement step in orthopaedic recovery processes would be the treatment by a physiotherapist, providing quantifiable and objective measurement options. E.g. one could provide the patient with an objective visualization of his healing process, by continuously monitoring the returning strength in an injured body part and could provide
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