A new product dubbed the Glove Tricorder by Med Sensation aims to make it easier for doctors – and patients – to diagnose breast cancer as well as problems like enlarged kidneys and other sub-dermal issues. The gloves currently contain a number of sensors including pressure feedback loops and accelerometers. Eventually the company plans to add ultrasound pads to the tips of the glove, allowing doctors to see inside the breast as they manipulate the tissue.
The system currently allows doctors to “quantify touch,” thereby allowing them to tell exactly what they’re doing right and wrong during examinations. For example, if a trainee is squeezing too hard or is not in the right position, the glove can give that feedback to an instructor.
“Soon everyone will have a glove that can be used to assess a sports injury or can be used to do self-clinical breast exams. In the future we will be able to augment a human’s ability to diagnosis illness, by adding sensors such as ultrasound probes that will be able to integrate the data and provide real-time assessment of heart valve abnormalities, abdominal pain, and much more without having to go to medical facility,” wrote the founders.
The project is part of the graduate studies program at the Singularity University. It was founded by a Harvard medical student, Andrew Bishara, and a pair of engineers, Elishai Ezra and Fransiska Hadiwidjana.