Robotic Glove Detects Breast Cancer Lumps

The Med Sensation glove places the power of the physical exam into patients' hands

Two engineers and a Harvard Medical School student have teamed up to enhance the human capabilities of touch with a robotic sensor glove. The glove will take the potential of a diagnosis-altering physical exam, and put it into the hands of patients.   Co.Exist’s Ariel Schwartz reports:

"The Med Sensation glove, now in its second iteration, is outfitted with sensors that can detect vibrations, sound, and temperature–and it features an accelerometer and a buzzer system for items that require immediate attention. 'If you apply too much pressure on the examined tissue, then the buzzer goes on,' explains team member Elishai Ezra."

The glove quantifies and transmits all the information it gathers from an exam to another device. Possible uses include:

• Home breast cancer screenings to judge whether a lump warrants a doctor’s visit
• Detecting an enlarged liver
• Detecting enlarged lymph nodes
• Assessing abdominal pain
• Ultrasound to examine heart abnormalities

Co.Exist’s Schwartz continues:

"The Med Sensation’s first goal is to bring the glove into medical education settings, teaching doctors to improve their examination skills. If that goes well, the team hopes to get the glove into physicians’ hands. And after that, the team wants to make a consumer-friendly version that “will allow people to do a physical exam themselves,” according Ezra. In Med Sensation’s future filled with robotic hands, patients will need to go to the doctor a whole lot less."