Discussed is a battery property measurement apparatus including a main body made of an insulative material, the main body being configured to be put on a hand of a user; and a measurement unit installed at a portion of the main body at which a finger of the user is located, the measurement unit being configured to contact at least a portion of respective opposite ends of a battery, the measurement unit being electrically connected to the battery when the user push on the battery using the finger in a state in which the battery is coupled to the measurement unit. BIRCH, STEWART, KOLASCH & BIRCH, LLP CAM/CAM/bo(ssk)

Examples are disclosed that relate to a disposable cover for an object, wherein the cover includes a passive sensing circuit loop. The sensing circuit loop is configured to inductively couple with a reusable sensor readout device that provides power and signal processing. The reusable sensor readout device wirelessly measures a sensor element printed as part of the sensing circuit loop through the inductively coupled channel. In one example, a disposable glove for a human hand includes a sensing circuit loop printed on the disposable glove.

Motion capture and haptic glove systems/methods and devices are provided in this invention. In one embodiment of the invention a motion capture and haptic glove system is described, comprising: A glove portion to be worn on top of a user's hand, the glove having finger portions for the fingers and thumb of the user; a plurality of anchoring finger caps circumscribed around the extremities of the finger portions; a plurality of anchor points configured to generate sensor data identifying a flexion/extension and an abduction/adduction of the finger portions; a plurality of tendon-like cables configured to transmit the flexion/extension and the abduction/adduction data to a plurality of measuring devices for processing, the tendon like cables being formatted to be flexible in their degree of movement; a plurality of motors to ensure constant tension in the tendon-like cable elements, wherein the plurality of motors also allow a pull back of the fingers and thumb based upon a virtual stimuli; and a housing structure residing on the forearm and connected to the glove portion via the plurality of tendon-like cables, wherein the housing unit comprises at least one motor unit and at least one routing system.

A glove includes a capacitive sensor, and conductive threads are woven into a fabric of the glove, the conductive threads serving as the capacitive sensor configured to detect, on the basis of a change in capacitance between the conductive threads adjacent to each other, a change in pressure applied to an area into which the conductive threads are woven.

The disclosed device, system, and method may comprise one or more devices for digital personal protective equipment. These devices may be network enabled wearables. A plurality of sensors, data transmission mechanisms, self-illuminating LEDs, and communication mechanisms may be embedded in a suspension or harness in various embodiments. A number of sensors may likewise be provided in a glove or earbud (ear plug). The device may measure various aspects of a wearer's movement and transmit that data over a data connection (such as a wifi or mobile connection) to a server. The server may house project and human resources data, worker and condition information, and materials and supplies data, according to various examples of embodiments. The system may further comprise one or more applications which may interpret the data provided.

Examples are disclosed that relate to sensor devices configured to sense bending in multiple joints. One example provides a sensor device configured to span a first articulable joint and a second articulable joint. The sensor device comprises a plurality of electrodes arranged in a stack and connected to a base. The plurality of electrodes comprise a first electrode arranged at a first joint region of the sensor device that is configured to be positioned at the first articulable joint, a second electrode arranged at a second joint region of the sensor device that is configured to be positioned at the second articulable joint, and a reference electrode.

Described herein is a system and method for ergonomic analysis including a sensorized glove having an inner glove including a plurality of extensometer sensors for detecting relative movements between parts of a worker's hand, and an outer glove including a plurality of pressure sensors distributed over a palmar surface and for detecting pressure exerted in corresponding areas of said palmar surface; a wearable network of sensors being located in the network so that they can be associated to corresponding joints of the human body; a unit for generating a sequence of images of a worker task; and a processing unit for receiving data and/or signals from the sensorized glove, from the wearable sensor network, and/or from the unit, and configured for processing said data and/or signals to estimate ergonomic indicators and/or to obtain local information of effort and/or posture.

An assistive exoskeleton glove system for a hand of an individual is described. In one example, the system includes a brace mount and a finger brace including a seat platform mechanically coupled to the brace mount. The finger brace can include a plurality of brace links, a plurality of constraint links, and an actuation lever. The system can also include an actuator mechanically coupled to the actuation lever and configured to articulate the finger brace over a predetermined range of motion. The range of motion can be tailored for different purposes. The system can also include finger abduction and adduction mechanisms, a thumb brace, a thumb flexion actuator, and a control system. The control system can be configured to detect a relative difference in feedback signals provided from target and offset encoders on the finger brace, as an input to control the actuator, and real-time grasping forces among other inputs.

A hand interface device is provided comprising: A glove portion to be worn on top of a user's hand, including a plurality of anchoring finger caps circumscribed around the extremities of the user's fingers and thumb; at least one haptic actuator housed within each of the anchoring finger caps; a housing structure attached to the forearm; and a plurality of wires running between at least one haptic actuator and the housing structure.

A safety system for a machine having a danger zone includes an induction coil having one or more turns extending along the periphery of a part of a worker's body as, for example, extending alone the fingers of a glove worn by the worker. A drive circuit applies a time-varying current having an identifiable characteristic such as the frequency of an alternating current. A magnetic field having the characteristic of the time-varying current is induced in an omnidirectional magnetic field sensor mounted adjacent the danger zone. The magnitude of this field is monitored. When the magnitude exceeds a threshold, a warning signal is issued and protective action may be taken, such as stopping or reversing the machine.