Active dressware: wearable proprioceptive systems based on electroactive polymers

Abstract

A technology based on conducting polymers and rubber microdispersed carbon phases enables the realization of truly wearable instrumented garments capable of recording proprioceptive maps and of stiffening body and hand segments with no discomfort for the subject, negligible motion artifacts and body overload Applications are foreseen in virtual and augmented reality, teleoperation and rehabilitation fields.