Waterproof e-gloves could one day help scuba divers communicate with the surface

Researchers have designed a waterproof e-glove that could help scuba divers better communicate with each other and with people on boats on the surface using hand signals.

Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the "hand gesture recognition glove" (GRG) is equipped with sensors that produce electrical pulses in response to 16 hand gestures commonly used by divers underwater, including the index finger-to-thumb gesture for "OK," according to a study published April 10 in the journal ACS Nano. 

These pulses are then transmitted to a computer capable of translating them into words, which could enable more efficient communication between divers and with people at the surface.

E-gloves are not a new concept and are already in development — for example, to help people who have experienced a stroke regain their fine motor skills. But, until now, designing an e-glove that is both waterproof and comfortable to wear remained a challenge.

The electronic sensors integrated into the new design are inspired by the shape and layout of starfish's tube-like feet, according to the study. Electrical signals are created by a series of flexible microscopic pillars, which the researchers embedded in thin sheets of a waterproof plastic material called polydimethylsiloxane. They then coated the micropillar-studded sheets in a conductive layer of silver and sandwiched two pieces together with the micropillars facing inward to create a sensor.

Related: Fluid leaked from scuba diver's blood vessels after 100-foot cave dive in rare medical case

Each sensor is roughly the size of a USB-C port and detects different pressures, according to a statement. To create an e-glove that responds to hand movements, the researchers individually packed 10 sensors in self-adhesive bandage and sewed them onto the knuckles and first finger joints of their prototype.