Tactile Sensing Gloves for Extravehicular Activity

Gloves are a critical element of the space suit used for extra-vehicular activity (EVA) since most work is done with the hands. The stiffness of the pressurized space suit limits the dexterity and flexibility of the astronauts' fingers, considerably depriving the fingertips of tactile sense of objects external to the glove. Providing tactile feedback to the fingertips may potentially improve the dexterity of the astronauts' gloves to better handle EVA tools. A complete glove-based tactile feedback system was developed to translate the sense of touch from the external fingertips of the glove to the fingertips within the glove.