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DIY Haptic Rehab Gloves: Vibrotactile + Pneumatic

Low-cost haptic rehab gloves: vibrotactile for proprioception + pneumatic extension. Seeking makers!

minuitbelMinuitbel
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I'm building two complementary DIY glove prototypes for personal hand rehabilitation in a neurological context (progressive mobility challenges: proprioception loss, mild spasticity, finger extension difficulty).

Glove 1 – VibeRestore (Vibrotactile / Haptic Feedback)

  • Coin cell / ERM vibration motors (30–60 Hz) on fingers & palm
  • Flex sensors or MPU6050 IMU for finger extension tracking
  • ESP32 for Bluetooth control: modes = continuous massage, sequential guidance, random bursts (anti-habituation)
  • Base: thin cycling/moto glove

Glove 2 – PneumoExtend (Pneumatic Sequential)

  • Small inflatable chambers (cut tension cuffs or DIY silicone PneuNets)
  • Low-pressure aquarium pump + solenoid valves + silicone tubing
  • ESP32/Arduino for timed cycles (inflate thumb → index → full hand → deflate)

Both are hackable, low-risk (0.1–0.3 bar max, low-voltage), and meant for home testing. Long-term: open designs, simple app (MIT App Inventor no-code), maybe hybrid later.

  • 1 × ESP32 development board Main controller with Bluetooth
  • 10 × Coin cell vibration motor 3V For haptic feedback on fingers/palm
  • 2 × MPU6050 IMU sensor Finger extension tracking
  • 5 × Flex sensor Electronic Components / Misc. Electronic Components
  • 1 × Low-pressure aquarium air pump 12V Pneumatic inflation

View all 6 components

  • Day 0 – Creator Status Approved! Project Launched

    Minuitbel • an hour ago • 0 comments

    Thanks Hackaday team for the quick validation! Project is now live. "Alive! It"s aliiiiiiiiiiiiive!"

    Quick recap: two DIY haptic gloves for hand rehab (vibrotactile + pneumatic). Personal POC stage, aiming for home-testable prototypes.

    Attached: prelim BOM for both gloves + teaser image of the "enchanted silver gauntlet" vibe we're going for 😈

    Looking for help from makers/electronicians (France or remote):

    • Soldering & wiring
    • ESP32 firmware flashing (Arduino IDE)
    • Bluetooth cycle programming (sequential/random modes)
    • Safety checks (low-voltage, pressure limits)

    Budget for parts covered. No need to be pro – just motivated & hands-on!

    Comment below or DM if interested. First real assembly photos coming soon.

    #Hackaday #Maker #Haptic #DIY #Wearables

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Minuitbel wrote an hour ago • point

Hey makers & electronicians!

Super excited the project is live. Looking for collaborators to help prototype these haptic rehab gloves (vibrotactile + pneumatic).

Specifically needed:

Soldering ESP32/vibration motors/valves
Firmware help (cycles, Bluetooth, modes)
Safety tips (pressure/vibro)

Parts budget $50–100 per glove – I'll order. France/SW preferred but remote OK.

Drop a comment or DM if this sounds fun! Let's hack some hand magic together!

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