Description
It’s hard to tell if there’s a working prototype of the Nuada glove out there, of if the hand strength enhancement system exists only as a concept with renderings. The video, which would be a terrific place to demonstrate a working prototype, is just 2 minutes’ worth of cartoon people losing their hand strength, and then regaining it with a cartoon Nuada.
Apparently, the Portuguese company did demonstrate a functional Nuada at Disrupt SF this week, but it has a long way to go, and a lot of leather and lycra to shed before it looks like the sleek, streamlined renderings, and the company’s description of the glove.
Nuada’s designers say it can provide a boost in hand gripping, lifting, pushing, and pulling strength for those who have lost some or all of theirs, or for people who just want performance enhancement without fatigue and strain at work or during athletic pursuits. That’s a potentially life-changing piece of tech. I for one would like a glove that can turn me into Bionic Hand Man. Then again, I would also like a suit that can turn me into Bulletproof & Superpowered Man. I hope I don’t have to wait as long for the Nuada as I do for the AdrenaSuit.
If the Nuada manifests in line with its vision, it will be a thin, flexible, ergonomic, and nonintrusive wearable. The glove is to have a network of built-in tendons to support the user’s hand when needed. Gripping in particular will be much easier with Nuada assistance. Tendons will connect to a rechargeable base at the wrist, serving as both their power source and a tracker that collects metrics on pulling strength, stability while pulling, heart rate, etc. that wearers can review and share with their docs.
