FESGlove enables precise control of individual fingers
A new glove-based system that uses functional electrical stimulation (FES) to activate individual fingers could offer a more effective way to support hand rehabilitation in people recovering from stroke or spinal cord injuries.
The FESGlove delivers targeted electrical stimulation to specific hand muscles and nerves, offering greater selectivity than many current systems, which often cause unintended finger movements by stimulating larger forearm muscles.
The device features 10 independent stimulation channels and combines silver fiber and hydrogel electrodes within a stretchable glove. Users can adjust settings like frequency, current amplitude, and pulse width to suit different needs.
Developed by researchers at the University of Bath and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the glove was designed to overcome limitations in traditional rehabilitation techniques that often fail to restore the fine motor control needed for tasks like buttoning a shirt or typing.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES), which uses electrical pulses to activate muscles, is applied directly to the hand’s intrinsic muscles in this system—avoiding the less precise stimulation of forearm muscles and allowing for more targeted control.
Tests with eight healthy volunteers showed the glove could reliably trigger flexion and extension in individual fingers while minimizing movement in surrounding digits.
“We were able to trigger single-finger motion with high accuracy, which is very promising for rehabilitation tasks that demand fine motor control,” said lead author Zeyu Cai.
Participants said the glove was comfortable and reported minimal discomfort during use. Its customizable settings suggest it could be useful both in clinical rehabilitation and as an assistive device.
Worldwide, millions of people lose hand function due to stroke, spinal cord injuries, or other neurological conditions. Standard rehabilitation approaches often fall short in helping people regain the ability to move fingers individually—something that’s critical for everyday tasks.
“Our next step is to test the glove in stroke and spinal cord injury patients, and explore closed-loop control with real-time feedback,” said senior author Professor Dingguo Zhang.
The research team sees the FESGlove as a potential platform that could eventually be integrated with brain-computer interfaces and other advanced neurorehabilitation tools.
This study was published in the journal Neuroelectronics on June 2, 2025.
