People without hands or arms have prosthetic limbs to address to their problems, but what about those with paralysis or hands that are non-functional with zero or very less strength in them. NEOFECT is a Korean start-up that developed a robotic hand glove called the NeoMano. The NeoMano is basically a soft, empowering and wearable hand robot, for those who need it.
NeoMano has a three essential parts; the glove part that covers the thumb, index and the middle finger leaving rest of the hand uncovered; a power pack attached to the glove and a Bluetooth remote control which controls the movement of the glove and can be held in the other hand or placed somewhere. The finger coverings and their attachments themselves are made up of leather – giving the glove some flexibility.
The power pack is a wireless motor that runs the glove. The remote control has a “Grip” button on it. Pressing the button contracts the fingers to hold onto something, as the wires in the fingers get wound and the applied tension forces them to close inwards. The longer the button is pressed, the tighter the grip of the hand becomes on the object being held. Once the button is released, the glove also lets go. The power motor is recharged with AAA Batteries.
Designed essentially for people with hand paralysis, NeoMano functions to provide strength to the hand also to people with medical issues that cause weakness in the hands. Hand paralysis or weakness may be due to nerve damage, diabetes, stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury or some paralytic disease.
NeoMano is currently in the prototype stage of the product life cycle, with successful crowdfunding of the first of its batches. Crowdfunding for the second batch is live on Indiegogo with discounted prices. NEOFECT is also offering a giveaway of the NeoMano, for every 15 t-shirts bought, to a person who is deserving enough.
All Images: © NEOFECT
Source: Indiegogo (via: New Atlas)