FESGlove: a glove of functional electrical stimulation with good selectivity for finger motion control
1 Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath, UK
2 Institute of Medical Robotics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Abstract

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an important rehabilitation technology for the recovery of motor function. This work developed a novel FES glove (FESGlove) with good selectivity for hand muscle stimulation. FESGlove aims to achieve independent finger motion control, which most available FES systems lack. The device is portable, multi-channel, and features adjustable stimulation parameters. FESGlove integrates a custom-designed electrode glove that combines silver-fiber fabric and hydrogel electrodes, enabling selective stimulation of hand muscles and nerves. Experiments were conducted on eight healthy participants to evaluate the system’s performance in controlling target finger movements while minimizing non-target finger coupling. The results demonstrated that the FES system achieved high selectivity and repeatibility in both flexion and extension modes, with target fingers exhibiting significantly greater movement amplitudes than non-target fingers. The system’s adaptability to individual differences and comfortable user experience were also confirmed. This satisfactory performance demonstrates the potential of the system for hand rehabilitation or assistance for people with disabilities in the future.

Keywords

functional electrical stimulation; finger motion control; multi-channel stimulation; glove; hand motor function

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