Polymer-optical sensor glove prototype based on eccentric FBGs

Abstract

We report on the development, test and comparison of a prototype sensor glove for 3D shape detection of the human hand. The prototype is based on polymer optical fibers with eccentrically inscribed Bragg gratings, which are mantled with a simple jacket woven into a textile fabric glove. All of these elements are lightweight and flexible, taking away the drawback of motion handicaps, that sensor gloves usually come with due to material stiffness. The sensor glove is tested with a set of approximately 15 different and simply defined hand gestures, which incorporate iconic and everyday gestures like grasping a cylindrical shape or showing numbers with fingers, assisted with 3D printed models. Hence a set of gestures is defined, subsequently we compared two commercial systems based on optical sensors from 5DT (Data Glove 5/ 14 Ultra) with the prototype. The prototype is not capable to measure motion accurately yet, due to its long integration times as of now, it is, however, advanced in the measurement accuracy, especially regarding the direction of the shape deformation, which is rendered possible by the structure of the FBG sensor. In the next steps, the integration time of the sensor, as well as its illumination and the evaluation will be improved. For that step, the light source, the optical spectrum analyzer and the computer will be replaced by integrated devices like LEDs, photodiodes and single-board microcontrollers. In the future, the gloves, as well as the used technology of the sensor, offer the potential for application in logistics, virtual and augmented reality as well as medical diagnostics and general observation.