Power efficient wireless connectivity of a wearable data glove

To detect and measure all the positions and movements of human hands, a data glove with bend sensors presents relevant advantages with respect to other solutions based on video-cameras. However, most of these advantages would be lost if wired connectivity is utilized. This paper presents the implementation of a wireless connection based on ZigBee protocol specifications to transmit the acquired data block from the sensorized glove to a computer with the addiction of a graphical interface to display the hand movements in real-time. The design choices are discussed and the experimental procedure is described considering a new power saving mechanism. Moreover, a power saving mechanisms has been implemented and its effectiveness has been assessed via measurements.