Research & development of joint health support aid made from sustainable textiles

This application is focused on the aim to develop sustainable materials and smart design to produce a pair of gloves that provide specified zones with different mechanical features to ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the hands. The aim is to produce a pair of gloves that can be manually adjusted to the user's condition, symptoms and stage of healing.

This approach is possible because the applicants have conducted early stage research on the combination of 3D printing and advanced textile knitting to produce "programmable" textiles. Programmable materials are unusual materials that change behaviour and functionality when activated. This opens up the possibility of producing advanced glove designs that have carefully designed regions of stiffness or flexibility that help mitigate pain and support inflamed joints and muscles in the hand.

The applicants have now formed a new company to take this technology forward. We are seeking Transformative Technologies investment to enable the team to develop the design and production process for the programmable textiles that are produced from sustainably sourced materials (natural yarns and recyclable plastics). This project will focus on the use of computational design, material and device prototyping and user testing with persons with osteoarthritis. Once completed, the applicants will have a device that is suitable for formal translation into production to enable large scale trials with patients/users.