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From: howard@aic.dpl.scg.hac.com
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Powerglove/Dataglove
Message-ID: <7453@hacgate.scg.hac.com>
Date: 25 Feb 90 00:28:24 GMT
References: <635510211.20483@minster.york.ac.uk> <20849@bcsaic.UUCP>
Sender: news@hacgate.scg.hac.com
Reply-To: howard@aic.hrl.hac.com (Mike Howard)
Organization: Hughes Research Labs, Malibu, CA
Lines: 34

In article <20849@bcsaic.UUCP> chrise@bcsaic.UUCP (Chris Esposito) writes:
>In article <635510211.20483@minster.york.ac.uk> russell@minster.york.ac.uk writes:
>>Has anyone out there the addresses of the companies who make the Powerglove
>>and the Dataglove?

>The Powerglove is something sold by Nintendo or Mattel for approximately
> $100, based on (I think) a license from VPL.

PowerGlove is sold by Mattel, designed primarily for use on Nintendo systems
by Abrams Gentile Entertainment [AGE] in conjunction with Mattel.  AGE did
license the VPL technology, but used a different, cheaper, sensor technology
so they could sell it for $75 to $80 [last Christmas].

>>Has anyone the spec. for the above, in terms of their position/angle
>> info., the number of joints that are sensed, etc. etc.

The VPL glove uses 10 sensors, two per digit, which are optical fibers.
Light through each fiber is attenuated in proportion to a finger's bend,
which gives a continuous signal and is digitized into a byte, for 256
levels.  The PowerGlove uses a conductive ink whose conductivity is
likewise attenuated, but it is not as accurate, and I hear that the
output is digitized into 2 bits for 4 discrete levels of bend.  

The DataGlove uses an electromagnetic field flux sensor for it's 3D
positional info, vs the PowerGlove's ultrasonic system.

For more info, see Design News [A Cahners Publication], Dec. 4, 1989
on the PowerGlove.  An older ref for the DataGlove is:

Scott Fisher, "Telepresence master glove controller for dexterous 
robotic end-effectors", in Proc. SPIE v.726 Intelligent Robots and
Computer Vision, (1986).

Mike H.   howard@aic.hrl.hac.com