Authors
Vera Pamminger, Robert Koeppe, Clemens Schartmüller, Thomas Stockinger, Martin Kaltenbrunner
Published in
Science advances. Volume 12. Issue 35. Pages eaeh1033. Aug 28, 2026. Epub Aug 26, 2026.
Abstract
Manual palpation is a cornerstone of medical assessment, yet its subjective nature limits its ability to provide quantitative data of characteristics like tissue hardness. Here, we introduce DigiPalp, a wearable smart glove designed to enable real-time 4D tactile scanning, combining 3D surface mapping with a tissue hardness measurement at each point. This quick (typically <0.5 seconds) and noninvasive measurement is achieved through a fusion of custom piezoresistive pressure sensors and magnetic position sensors embedded into the glove's fingertips. By featuring silicone-encapsulated stretchable wiring, the hand's natural range of motion is maintained to support a workflow like conventional palpation. We show that the system can reliably differentiate six hardness levels across the soft tissue range, identify small, harder nodules (down to 5-millimeter radius) embedded in silicone phantoms, mimicking tumor detection, and demonstrate the system's capability on complex tissue through a full 4D scan of the torso of a living person.
PMID:
42647629
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 27 Aug 2026.
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