Carbonhand
A revolutionary assistive aid that gives power back to people with impaired hand function.
A revolutionary assistive aid that gives power back to people with impaired hand function.
Carbonhand is a revolutionary aid that gives back power to people with impaired hand function. Pressure sensors and advanced technology ensure the glove adds power in cases where the user’s own muscles are inadequate.
Carbonhand is an assistive aid in the form of a grip-strengthening glove with pressure sensors in the fingers that sense when the user needs support. The pressure sensors detect when the user initiates a hand grip and the glove then applies the power needed to ensure a firm grip. Carbonhand comes in five different sizes for right and left hands.
Artificial tendons and electric motors add power to the glove ensuring endurance for people with impaired hand function. This enables activities in everyday life, at work or during rehabilitation.
Use the app to create and customise your own profiles. For example, you may need more support for leisure activities and less for simpler household activities. You can then easily switch between your profiles with the push of a button.
In addition to the actual glove, Carbonhand consists of a small power unit that distributes the power as required. You can wear Carbonhand on your back or around your waist, which allows it to be customised to suit the situation or your preferences.
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Our goal is to develop innovative, wearable, soft exoskeletons that strengthen the body, prevent future injuries and compensate for reduced function.
Our unique SEM technology is based on the user's own activity. Pressure-sensitive sensors in the glove detect the user's grip intention. Small motors then help amplify the hand's power. How much force the glove provides depends on how hard the user is gripping and is easily determined and programmed in an app. In this way, our products assist the user with the right amount of force, whether it is for preventive purposes in a workplace or to compensate for reduced hand function for an injured person in a home environment. The SEM technology can be used for different parts of the body and can be used for both preventive, rehabilitative and compensatory purposes.
The impact of Carbonhand is immediate. With an applied force of up to 20 Newtons (N) per finger, a large proportion of patients with impaired hand strength are able to regain the majority of their hand function and resume activities and household activities. In addition, multiple studies conclude that many patients enjoy a stronger grip, improved hand function and a more independent life even when Carbonhand is removed.
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Close to 200 patients have used Carbonhand in a number of studies, either as an assistive aid or as a tool for rehabilitation. The participants have had underlying causes of impairments in their hands such as a stroke, peripheral nerve damage, plexus damage, traumatic injuries, spinal cord injuries or weakness due to age. It is always the user’s hand function and not the unique diagnosis that determines whether Carbonhand can assist the user or not.
The overall conclusion is that Carbonhand has helped the vast majority of patients to carry out activities they were unable to do previously giving them more independence and the opportunity to experience a better quality of life. In the studies that measured rope strength and hand function, the results reveal improved grip strength (+27%) and better hand function (+12%) after six weeks of using Carbonhand.
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Earlier versions of Carbonhand have been used as an assistive aid around the world for the past nine years. Close to 200 patients have been involved in several studies, using Carbonhand either as an assistive aid, as a tool for rehabilitation or being part of a control group receiving standard of care. The overall results after 4-12 weeks of Carbonhand use are improved both grip strength and hand function and that the users experiences an improved quality of life.
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If as a clinician you need more information or training about Carbonhand, you are most welcome to contact us by entering your contact details below. You can then download the clinical evidence and we will be in touch to help you further.
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Want to test whether Carbonhand can assist you? If so, contact your occupational therapist or physiotherapist and ask them to evaluate whether Carbonhand might be suitable as an assistive aid for the impairment in your hand.
Our story started in the early 2000s with Hans von Holst, neurologist at Karolinska Hospital who, in his profession, often encountered patients with severely reduced strength and mobility in their arms and hands. He therefore began to search for a way to help patients strengthen the little function that remained. Together with Jan Wikander, Professor of Mechatronics, they began outlining a glove design that could help strengthen hand grip. Not long after, the first Servoglove which was a predecessor to Carbonhand, saw the light of day.
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Jan Wikander, professor in Mechatronics at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), had for a long time worked with robots of various kinds. Among these was a robotic hand. Hans and Jan saw the opportunity to use the same robotic technology and turn it into a bionic glove with the possibility to strengthen the human grasp. The idea was to create a glove that can prevent stress injuries, can be used in rehabilitation and provide support to people during their daily activities at home or at work.
The idea was presented to Johan Ingvast, PhD, who started to turn the vision into a product starting in May 2006. As a result, they founded Bioservo Technologies. Until today Hans is still an active contributor to the company holding a position in the Board of Directors. Thanks to this background we combine the best of two worlds: medical expertise with modern robotic technology to create innovative bionic, grasp strengthening products for people with reduced muscle strength or in need of extra powe
Our first commercial product in 2013 was the SEM Glove™ (predecessor to Carbonhand®) which provided extra force and endurance to people with a weak hand grip. The SEM™ technology concept ventures significantly beyond other state-of-the-art devices by introducing a technology that follows the user's actions in an intuitive way and enhances the grasping force only if the human initiates a grasp.
1. Radder B, Prange-Lasonder G.B, Kottink A, Holmberg J, Sletta K, van Dijk M et al. (2019) Home rehabilitation supported by a wearable soft-robotic device for improving hand function in older adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE 14(8): e0220544.
2. Kottink AIR, Nikamp CDM, Buurke JH, Bos F, van der Sluis CK, van den Broek M, Onneweer B, Stolwijk-Swüste JM, Brink SM, Rietman JS, Prange-Lasonder GB. Six weeks use of a wearable soft-robotic glove during ADL. IFSSH, IFSHT & FESSH Combined Congress. June 6-10 2022. ExCeL, London.