Abstract
In this article, the impact of postural variations on hand anthropometry and distribution of skin strain ratios has been investigated. The literature suggests the glove fit directly affects hand functions. However, gloves currently manufactured based on a static posture failed to provide optimum fit. Workers often do not wear protective gloves due to discomfort caused by improper design, which increases the risk of hand injury. Full-color three-dimensional scans of the hands are captured with thirty healthy subjects (20 females, 10 males) to analyze the hand measurements and skin deformation with various postures. 42 of the 57 hand dimensions were found to have significant differences (p >0.05) related to hand posture. The skin strain ratios further suggest that the slant of the web space, dorsal-length and surface area should be increased, while the angles of the web space and length of the palm reduced to advance glove patterns. This research contributes to constructing gloves with optimum fit, performance, and comfort. Results show that in consideration of hand postures, the angle of the slant of web space between digits 2 and 5 and the finger length on the dorsal side should be increased, whilst the finger length on the palm side should be reduced in glove pattern design. Gloves currently constructed based on a splayed posture cannot provide a good fit. Consideration should be given to hand measurements in dynamic postures.
Highlights
The glove fit problemsGloves are commonly worn during work and sporting activities for protecting the hands, allowing better grasp and dexterity, and even increasing the safety of the task that is being carried out
The splayed posture is conducive to the length of the palm side, but not conducive to the length of the dorsal side and other measurements in relaxed and gripping postures
The measurements taken from both left and right hands were involved in the repeated-measures analysis of variance (rANOVA)
Summary
Gloves are commonly worn during work and sporting activities for protecting the hands, allowing better grasp and dexterity, and even increasing the safety of the task that is being carried out. The complex anatomical structure of the hand means that gloves are one of the most complicated engineered products. To allow wearers to move their hand freely and flexibly, gloves must fit like a second skin to wearers for optimal comfort and practical use. Poor-fitting gloves negatively affect the hand performance of the wearers, and lead to continuous inefficient use or overuse of the hand muscles.
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