Vibrating Glove Device Able To Assist People With Nerve Impairment

Research indicates that giving a small vibration to the side of the fingertip betters sensitivity of touch as well as motor performance. In the most recent of experiments, the researchers connected the device to 10 healthy adult volunteers who then carried out routine sensory and motor-skill tasks, which also included texture discrimination, two-point discrimination, single-point touch and grasp trials. The experimental results displayed that the volunteers did statistically better on all of the tasks when mechanical vibration was employed. For instance, in the two-point discrimination test, two sharp points were pressed with the fingertip and volunteers described if they could constantly differentiate two points touching their finger against just one. The results proved that when individuals experienced vibrations equal to 75 and 100 per cent of their limitations, they were able to sense two points that were closer together. Prof Jun Ueda of Georgia Tech told #-Link-Snipped-#, "The future of this research may lead to the development of a novel orthopaedic device that could help people with peripheral nerve damage resume their daily activities, or improve the abilities of individuals with jobs that require skills in manipulation or texture discrimination."