Vibrotactile glove—a novel sensory rehabilitation device

In this thesis, an innovative and wearable rehabilitation system (Vibrotactile Glove) was developed to assist individuals who have lost their sense of touch due to paralysis or upper limb trauma in regaining their sensory functions. The system is designed to restore neurosensory feedback and aims to promote neural plasticity through vibration-based subthreshold stimulation. The device generates adjustable band-limited white noise vibrations in the 0–1000 Hz frequency range and stimulates different types of mechanoreceptors—particularly Pacinian and Meissner corpuscles—via stimulators placed at strategic points on the hand. This stimulation method, based on the principle of stochastic resonance, enhances subthreshold sensory potentials using low-amplitude noise signals and reduces the sensory perception threshold. Thus, it contributes to the reorganization of sensory pathways in the central nervous system, enabling improved tactile awareness. The hardware architecture of the system consists of five stimulator control units, a microcontroller, a power management unit, a data storage unit, and a communication unit. This multi-component structure has been optimized to meet fundamental requirements such as low power consumption, high stability, and portability. The embedded software was developed using the MicroPython language within the Thonny Integrated Development Environment, adhering to object-oriented programming principles to ensure modularity, maintainability, and future scalability. The embedded software architecture organizes components such as Bluetooth Low Energy service management, data processing, therapy control, and user interaction into separate modules. Wireless communication is provided through a Bluetooth Low Energy interface, allowing therapy parameters —such as frequency and amplitude— to be customized via an externally developed mobile application. This enables the patient to adjust therapy intensity individually, while clinicians can remotely monitor the therapy process. A fully functional prototype was designed, manufactured, and thoroughly tested in the laboratories of TOBB University of Economics and Technology. The integration of hardware, software, and mechanical components was successfully completed, and the system's vibration accuracy and Bluetooth Low Energy communication reliability were validated. The device has been prepared for clinical trials to be conducted at Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences, with the ethics committee approval process currently underway. In conclusion, the Vibrotactile Glove offers an innovative, low-cost, portable, and scientifically grounded rehabilitation solution for individuals with sensory loss in their upper limbs. Through controlled vibrotactile stimulation that supports neuroplasticity, this system is expected to make a clinically significant contribution to the recovery of sensory feedback and improvement of functional tactile perception.