Now, a glove that turns your hand into a wireless keyboard

WASHINGTON: Researchers have designed a new glove that allows your hands to function as a wireless keyboard.

Researchers from the University of Alabama said instead of tapping keys on a keyboard, the user simply touches their thumb to certain points on their fingers which are assigned a letter or other keyboard function.

Conductive thread carries the commands to a matchbox-sized Printed Circuit Board (PCB) affixed to the back of the glove.

The PCB transmits it via Bluetooth, whether it's a computer, a mobile phone, music synthesizer, video game or military device.


Gauntlet works as a touch screen by tapping your fingers to your thumb on a gloved hand.

Four senior engineering students at UAH made the glove their senior design project for a computer engineering class led by Dr B Earl Wells.

The students -- Jiake Liu, Stephen Dond, Douglas Kirby and Chris Heath - are now seeking a patent to market the product.

"It's basically a keyboard on your hand. You, by tapping your thumb on each segment of your fingers, type to the screen basically. And you can do a swiping gesture that would erase it," Lui said.

Gauntlet is an acronym for Generally Accessible Universal Nomadic Tactile Low-power Electronic Typist. That's a lengthy description of what essentially is a glove with a beehive of conductive threads running throughout the fingers and palm.


"There are several applications we can think of right now. The easy one would be as a keyboard for the consumer market," Liu said.

"Also, the medical field for people limited to one hand from a disability. We can also think of military uses, as an entertainment device or used as a musical instrument for digital synthesising," Liu said in a statement.

Dr Emil Jovanov, associate dean for Graduate Education and Research in the UAH College of Engineering, commended the students for their innovation.

"It is a perfect example of how you take an original idea, find your niche and complete the whole idea," Jovanov said.