A spinal cord injury can cause permanent loss of strength, sensation and function below the site of the injury. These effects could last for years or even lifelong. Although there are many assistive devices to make the people with spinal cord injuries lead an independent life, these solutions cover the entire hand.
However, Neofect, a Korean company known for its rehabilitation tools and which inspires hope for patients in need of rehab has come up with a “smart glove” designed to help people with paralyzed hands do simple tasks.
This new robotic glove is called the NeoMano. Its prototype was shown off at the CES 2018 which looks strange covering only the heel of the hand, two fingers and a thumb. It has titanium wires that help the ones who lost the ability to perform simple tasks such as picking up cups, turning pages, holding a toothbrush, opening doors and using utensils. There’s a battery that sits on the bridge of the hand which is connected to a control panel. The control panel is provided with two settings which is grip and release. Grip helps to slowly curl the fingers around the object while release will extend the fingers back to a normal position.
NeoMano is similar to Neofect’s Raphel smart glove which is designed for stroke patients. After it got popularity the company decided to design a sperate smart glove for the people suffering from paralysis.
The company will seek fund from Kickstarter in the spring. It has already applied for FDA approval and is planning to make the device available by the end of the year.
