A Systematic Review on Custom Data Gloves

TL;DR

This paper systematically reviews the development and characteristics of custom data gloves over 40 years, highlighting technological approaches, challenges, and the need for standardization to advance their widespread adoption.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of custom glove designs, sensor types, limitations, and critical issues, forming a foundation for future standardization efforts in the field.

Findings

Diverse sensor types and configurations used in custom gloves.

Limitations due to device encumbrance and usability issues.

Need for standardization to facilitate broader adoption.

Abstract

Hands are a fundamental tool humans use to interact with the environment and objects. Through hand motions, we can obtain information about the shape and materials of the surfaces we touch, modify our surroundings by interacting with objects, manipulate objects and tools, or communicate with other people by leveraging the power of gestures. For these reasons, sensorized gloves, which can collect information about hand motions and interactions, have been of interest since the 1980s in various fields, such as Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) and the analysis and control of human motions. Over the last 40 years, research in this field explored different technological approaches and contributed to the popularity of wearable custom and commercial products targeting hand sensorization. Despite a positive research trend, these instruments are not widespread yet outside research environments and devices aimed at research are often ad hoc solutions with a low chance of being reused. This paper aims to provide a systematic literature review for custom gloves to analyze their main characteristics and critical issues, from the type and number of sensors to the limitations due to device encumbrance. The collection of this information lays the foundation for a standardization process necessary for future breakthroughs in this research field.