• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.15-21
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• 2005

Use of a glove made of materials with a low elasticity decreases the performance of the hand such as agility, dexterity, range of motion, and grip strength. The present study examined if the adverse effects of a low-elastic glove can be reduced by a design which accommodates the changes of hand surface lengths by hand motion. Two glove designs which provide patches of elastic cloth and pleats at the finger joints and knuckle were developed by considering the hand surface length changes, and then compared with two conditions(bare hand and conventional glove design that does not consider the dynamic characteristics of the hand dimensions) in terms of completion time in peg board insertion task, maximum grip strength, discomfort in hand motion, discomfort in force exertion, and overall discomfort by 24 right-handed participants. The test results confirmed that wearing of a glove significantly reduced the agility and grip strength capability of the hand and indicated that the novel designs were effective to lessen the performance decreases compared to the conventional design. Also, of the glove designs, the pleat glove design was found most preferred for both better hand performance and less subjective discomfort.

• Proceedings of the ESK Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.28-28
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• 2004

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.1-5
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• 2005

A glove design which reflects the changes in hand surface by hand motion can reduce the undesirable effects of use of gloves on hand performance. The present study examined changes in hand length dimensions due to hand motion and identified significant factors affecting the length changes. Recruiting 120 males and females in their 20s and 30s having various hand lengths, this study measured 10 hand length dimensions, defined at 2 hand areas(phalangeal and metacarpal areas) for 5 digits, when the hand is stretched and in fist, and then calculated the percentage of length increase for each dimension. ANOVA and simple-effect analyses showed the length change percentages were mainly different depending on digit and hand area: 111-127% at the phalangeal area and 112-116% at the metacarpal area. The length change percentages of the index, middle, ring, and little fingers in the phalangeal area ascended in order and showed a high correlation(r = 0.94)with the ranges of motion of the fingers.