Stroke is the leading cause of long-term adult disability, affecting 15 million people annually. Over 80% of survivors experience upper limb motor impairment, and hand function recovery, grasping, pinching, writing, is among the most critical determinants of independent living. Current rehabilitation options are clinic-based, expensive ($150–$300/session), and limited to 1–2 hours daily, far below the repetition density (1,000+ task-specific movements per day) that neuroscience has identified as optimal for neuroplastic recovery. NeuroGlove is a soft robotic hand exoskeleton that delivers high-intensity, adaptive, home-based rehabilitation, continuously adjusting assistance level to the patient's evolving recovery state.

How it works: NeuroGlove consists of five pneumatic soft actuators, one per finger, fabricated from silicone elastomer with embedded fiber reinforcement. When pressurized via a palm-mounted miniature air pump, each actuator produces a controlled flexion force of 8–15N, guiding the finger through a therapeutic range of motion. The actuation pattern can produce full grasp, pinch, lateral, and extension movements independently.

Integrated into the glove back are five thin-film EMG (electromyography) surface sensors that detect residual voluntary muscle activation signals from the forearm and hand, even sub-threshold signals invisible to conventional clinical assessment. These signals are processed by an onboard RISC-V microcontroller running a real-time motor intent classifier (trained on 3,000 stroke patient EMG datasets). When the system detects the patient attempting a movement, it amplifies that attempt by providing precisely calibrated pneumatic assistance, a paradigm called "intention-driven assistance" that has been shown in clinical trials to accelerate cortical remapping 3× faster than passive motion alone.

An adaptive difficulty algorithm tracks task completion rate across 12 standardized grip tasks, incrementally reducing assistance as voluntary strength improves. A companion app streams session data to a physical therapist dashboard, enabling remote monitoring and protocol adjustment.

What makes it novel: Commercial robotic gloves (Saebo, Bioservo) provide fixed-pattern assistance regardless of patient state. NeuroGlove is the first device that continuously personalizes the assistance envelope based on decoded motor intention, converting every movement attempt into a therapeutically optimal interaction. The soft actuator design is also far lighter (280g total) and more wearable than rigid exoskeleton alternatives.

Manufacturing: Silicone actuators cast in 3D-printed molds, a scalable process used in soft robotics manufacturing. Electronics assembly follows standard flexible PCB processes. Miniature air pump: sourced from CPAP supply chain. Target BOM: $380 per unit. Market price: $1,200, well below the $4,000–$12,000 of clinical robotic devices. FDA 510(k) pathway via predicate devices already cleared.

Where it's applied: Home-based stroke rehabilitation, TBI motor recovery, cerebral palsy hand therapy, and post-surgical hand tendon rehabilitation.

Market potential: Global stroke rehabilitation market: $32B by 2028. The home rehabilitation segment is the fastest growing, driven by telehealth expansion and hospital discharge pressure. Payer reimbursement (CPT codes for robotic-assisted rehab devices) is already established in the US and EU.