Glove could help stroke patients and hospitals alike

Hospitals and health care providers are plagued by soaring costs and are being pressured by insurance companies and policymakers to cut business expenses. A new medical device developed by undergraduate engineering students could help stroke patients and boost efficiency at hospitals.

Undergraduate mechanical engineering students at McGill University in Canada developed a medical device in response to a design request from the startup company Jintronix Inc., according to the school. The Biomedical Sensor Glove was designed by the students to help stroke victims recover - without having to visit their doctors for regular checkups.

The glove works by allowing patients to exercise in their own homes with little supervision. As the patients perform basic physical therapy exercises, the glove charts their relative progress, sending back the results to their doctors through the Internet. By eliminating the need to make regular hospital trips, the globe helps patients save time, and frees up doctors to see other patients while still monitoring their results.

Moreover, patients are also able to monitor their progress through the glove's software, which generates 3-D renderings of the patient's musculature. Though similar types of gloves exist on the market today, this latest device designed by the students is far cheaper to produce at $1,000. According to the school, the glove could be used in developing countries to help treat stroke victims.