Towards Soft Robotic Exogloves for Musculoskeletal Manipulation to Reduce Pain and Spasticity
Researchers have developed a novel soft robotic exoglove designed to simultaneously improve hand mobility and alleviate muscle spasticity through massage-like compression. The glove uses personalized soft pneumatic actuators tailored to individual hand topology and kinematics, with preliminary experiments validating comfort and effectiveness. This technology could benefit the 12 million people worldwide affected by hand spasticity and associated pain.
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[Submitted on 8 Jul 2026]
Title:Towards Soft Robotic Exogloves for Musculoskeletal Manipulation to Reduce Pain and Spasticity
View a PDF of the paper titled Towards Soft Robotic Exogloves for Musculoskeletal Manipulation to Reduce Pain and Spasticity, by Antonia Salluce and 5 other authors
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Abstract:Hand spasticity and resulting pain affect 12 million people worldwide, including stroke survivors, arthritis patients, and those with other muscle and nerve deficiencies. Soft robotic exogloves are being introduced to help patients enhance mobility or manage pain; however, there are no current solutions that address both pain and mobility. We present preliminary development of a soft robotic exoglove that both aids in mobility and administers massage-like compression to relax spastic muscles. The glove consists of soft pneumatic actuators that are personalized to an individual's hand topology and kinematics, allowing for optimal conformability and targeted mobility. Novel soft actuators were designed, analyzed, fabricated, assembled into an exoglove, and experimentally tested. Actuators were 3D modeled and analyzed with finite element modeling under pressures of 100 and 200 kPa. Geometries were optimized to minimize stress before fabrication and testing. A dorsal finger actuator was successfully customized to a participant's hand topology, providing full conformal contact and maximal force distribution. A ventral finger actuator was successfully fabricated that can be drastically compressed in size to fit into the tight space of a hyperflexed spastic finger. A palmar actuator was successfully printed with stereolithography, showing potential for 3D-printed soft actuators with more complex geometries. The glove was assembled and successfully worn by a pilot user to validate initial findings in comfort and effectiveness.
Comments: 8 pages, 15 figures. To be published in the IEEE RAS/EMBS 11th International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob 2026)
Subjects:
Robotics (cs.RO)
Cite as: arXiv:2607.07958 [cs.RO]
(or arXiv:2607.07958v1 [cs.RO] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.07958
arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
Submission history
From: Jacqueline Libby [view email] [v1] Wed, 8 Jul 2026 22:24:52 UTC (3,453 KB)
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