Bangkok-based Chulalongkorn University Communication Center has announced the launch of new gloves for the reduction of tremors in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The lightweight and easy-to-use Parkinson’s gloves have been developed by doctors at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. By automatically reducing tremors, the new gloves are said to help Parkinson’s Disease patients to better lead a social life. They will also reduce side effects from medication and risk from brain surgery.
Led by Professor Dr Roongroj Bhidayasiri and Assistant Professor Onanong Phokaewvarangkul, a team of researchers from the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, researched and developed a prototype of “tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves” in 2014. In a statement, Dr Onanong said: “The tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves are the first medical device that can help reduce tremors in the hands of PD patients through automatic electric stimulation of the hand muscles without having to increase their medication and reduce the risk of brain surgery.”
In 2017, the gloves received a patent as a portable tremor-measuring and reducing device which uses electrical muscle stimulation. The team has developed the fifth-generation lightweight tremor-reducing Parkinson’s gloves, which are easy to wear and available at a lower price than the similar imported device.
The device features a glove with a muscle stimulator, and a control panel. It is operated by a mobile phone with an application, which also store the tremors and stimulation for analysis.
REFERENCE: Medical Device Network; 10 APR 2023