Wrist rehabilitation systems based on sensor gloves and virtual reality: A state-of-the-art review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36825/RITI.14.33.005Keywords:
Wrist Rehabilitation, Sensory Gloves, Virtual Reality, Gamification, Wearable DevicesAbstract
This article presents a state-of-the-art review of wrist rehabilitation systems based on wearable sensory gloves and gamification approaches. It examines how these technologies can support functional recovery of the wrist and addresses the need for accessible solutions in clinical and home-based contexts. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and Scopus for studies in English and Spanish (2010–2025) on wrist rehabilitation using wearable devices, virtual reality, and/or gamification, and the selected works were grouped by technologies employed, effectiveness of gamification, and clinical outcomes. The review shows that commercial sensory gloves offer high precision, durability, and mature development ecosystems but are limited by high cost and proprietary technologies, while open-hardware solutions provide lower-cost and flexible devices with reduced precision and durability. Evidence indicates that gamification and integration with virtual reality environments can enhance patient motivation, treatment adherence, and functional performance. The review also identifies gaps in economic accessibility, therapy personalization, and system usability, and proposes as a future direction the development of low-cost, gamified, user-centered sensory gloves for wrist rehabilitation in both clinical and home settings.
References
Sadeghnejad, S., Abadi, V. S. E., Jafari, B. (2023). Rehabilitation robotics: History, applications, and recent advances. En O. Boubaker (Ed.), Medical and healthcare robotics: New paradigms and recent advances (pp. 63–85). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-18460-4.00008-1
Aghdam, Z. N., Rahmani, A. M., Hosseinzadeh, M. (2021). The role of the Internet of Things in healthcare: Future trends and challenges. Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmpb.2020.105903
Ometov, A., Shubina, V., Klus, L., Skibińska, J., Saafi, S., Pascacio, P., Flueratoru, L., Quezada Gaibor, D., Chukhno, N., Chukhno, O., Ali, A., Channa, A., Svertoka, E., Bin Qaim, W., Casanova-Marqués, R., Holcer, S., Torres-Sospedra, J., Casteleyn, S., Ruggeri, G., Araniti, G., Burget, R., Hosek, J., Lohan, E. S. (2021). A survey on wearable technology: History, state-of-the-art and current challenges. Computer Networks, 193, 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2021.108074
de Beukelaar, T. T., Mantini, D. (2023). Monitoring resistance training in real time with wearable technology: Current applications and future directions. Bioengineering, 10 (9), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering10091085
Khan, S., Alam, M. (2021). Wearable Internet of Things for personalized healthcare: Study of trends and latent research. En R. Patgiri, A. Biswas, P. Roy (Eds.), Health informatics: A computational perspective in healthcare (pp. 43–60). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9735-0_3
Ma, B., Nie, S., Ji, M., Song, J. (2020). Research and analysis of sports training real-time monitoring system based on mobile artificial intelligence terminal. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2020, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8879616
Meijer, H. A. W., Obdeijn, M. C., van Loon, J., van den Heuvel, S. B. M., van den Brink, L. C., Schijven, M. P., Goslings, J. C., Schepers, T. (2023). Rehabilitation after distal radius fractures: Opportunities for improvement. Journal of Wrist Surgery, 12 (5), 460–473. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1769925
Dereli, M., Kahraman, T. (2024). Gamification in physiotherapy and rehabilitation education: A narrative review. Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy, 29, (4), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43161-023-00168-1
Zlotnik, S., Weiss, P. L., Raban, D. R., Houldin-Sade, A. (2023). Use of gamification for adult physical rehabilitation in occupational therapy; A novel concept? Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy, 36 (2), 51-56. https://doi.org/10.1177/15691861231179037
Ismail, M. A. S., Adib, M. A. H. M. (2024). Rehabilitation and gamification technology device for lower extremities patient: A review. En M. H. A. Hassan, M. N. Omar, N. H. Johari, Y. Zhong (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd Human Engineering Symposium (pp. 351–361). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6890-9_28
Kennard, M., Hassan, M., Shimizu, Y., Suzuki, K. (2024). Max Well-Being: A modular platform for the gamification of rehabilitation. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 11, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2024.1382157
Sgubin, G., Deodato, M., Murena, L. (2023). Gamification in rehabilitation: The role of subjective experience in a multisensory learning context—A narrative review. Gestalt Theory, 45 (1–2), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.2478/gth-2023-0012
Ferreira, J. J., Fernandes, C. I., Rammal, H. G., Veiga, P. M. (2021). Wearable technology and consumer interaction: A systematic review and research agenda. Computers in Human Behavior, 118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106710
Adans-Dester, C., Hankov, N., O’Brien, A., Vergara-Diaz, G., Black-Schaffer, R., Zafonte, R., Dy, J., Lee, S. I., Bonato, P. (2020). Enabling precision rehabilitation interventions using wearable sensors and machine learning to track motor recovery. npj Digital Medicine, 3 (1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-020-00328-w
Li, Y., Yin, J., Liu, S., Xue, B., Shokoohi, C., Ge, G., Hu, M., Li, T., Xue, T., Rao, Z., Meng, F., Shi, H., Ji, X., Servati, P., Xiao, X., Chen, J. (2023). Learning hand kinematics for Parkinson’s disease assessment using a multimodal sensor glove. Advanced Science, 10 (20), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202206982
Shenoy, P., Gupta, A., Varadhan, S. K. M. (2022). Design and validation of an IMU based full hand kinematic measurement system. IEEE Access, 10, 93812–93830. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3203186
Pimentel-Ponce, M., Romero-Galisteo, R. P., Palomo-Carrión, R., Pinero-Pinto, E., Merchán-Baeza, J. A., Ruiz-Muñoz, M., Oliver-Pece, J., González-Sánchez, M. (2024). Gamification and neurological motor rehabilitation in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Neurología, 39 (1), 63–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nrl.2021.02.011
Demolder, C., Molina, A., Hammond, F. L., Yeo, W. H. (2021). Recent advances in wearable biosensing gloves and sensory feedback biosystems for enhancing rehabilitation, prostheses, healthcare, and virtual reality. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2021.113443
Caeiro-Rodríguez, M., Otero-González, I., Mikic-Fonte, F. A., Llamas-Nistal, M. (2021). A systematic review of commercial smart gloves: Current status and applications. Sensors, 21 (8), 1-33. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21082667
Janarthanan, V., Assad-Uz-Zaman, M., Rahman, M. H., McGonigle, E., Wang, I. (2020). Design and development of a sensored glove for home-based rehabilitation. Journal of Hand Therapy, 33 (2), 209–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2020.03.023
Meng, F., Liu, C., Li, Y., Hao, H., Li, Q., Lyu, C., Wang, Z., Ge, G., Yin, J., Ji, X., Xiao, X. (2023). Personalized and safe soft glove for rehabilitation training. Electronics, 12 (11), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12112531
Ozioko, O., Dahiya, R. (2022). Smart tactile gloves for haptic interaction, communication, and rehabilitation. Advanced Intelligent Systems, 4 (2), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202100091
Li, F., Chen, J., Ye, G., Dong, S., Gao, Z., Zhou, Y. (2023). Soft robotic glove with sensing and force feedback for rehabilitation in virtual reality. Biomimetics, 8 (1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010083
Guerrero Hernández, A. L., Vivas Albán, O. A., Sabater Navarro, J. M. (2023). Sistema de rehabilitación de motricidad fina de miembro superior utilizando juegos serios. Ingeniería y Desarrollo, 41 (1), 28–49. https://doi.org/10.14482/inde.41.01.615.985
Evans, J., Salisbury, J., Schulz, S., Bacak, C., Sandler, A., Parnes, N., Scanaliato, J., Childs, B. (2023). Gamification has the potential to improve patient engagement and adherence in physical therapy. Journal of Orthopaedic Business, 3 (4), 41–45. https://www.jorthobusiness.org/index.php/jorthobusiness/article/view/41
Then, J. W., Shivdas, S., Tunku Ahmad Yahaya, T. S., Ab Razak, N. I., Choo, P. T. (2020). Gamification in rehabilitation of metacarpal fracture using cost-effective end-user device: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Hand Therapy, 33 (2), 235–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2020.03.029
Brigham, T. J. (2015). An introduction to gamification: Adding game elements for engagement. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 34 (4), 471–480. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2015.1082385
Toda, A. M., Valle, P. H. D., Isotani, S. (2018). The dark side of gamification: An overview of negative effects of gamification in education. En A. I. Cristea, I. I. Bittencourt, F. Lima (Eds.), Higher education for all: From challenges to novel technology-enhanced solutions (pp. 143–156). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97934-2_9
Subhan, F., Mirza, A., Su’ud, M. B. M., Alam, M. M., Nisar, S., Habib, U., Iqbal, M. Z. (2023). AI-enabled wearable medical Internet of Things in healthcare system: A survey. Applied Sciences, 13 (3), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13031394
Hercog, D., Lerher, T., Truntič, M., Težak, O. (2023). Design and implementation of ESP32-based IoT devices. Sensors, 23 (15), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23156739
Paramita, S., Das Bebartta, H. N., Pattanayak, P. (2021). IoT based healthcare monitoring system using 5G communication and machine learning models. En R. Patgiri, A. Biswas, P. Roy (Eds.), Health informatics: A computational perspective in healthcare (pp. 159–182). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9735-0_9
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de Investigación en Tecnologías de la Información
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Esta revista proporciona un acceso abierto a su contenido, basado en el principio de que ofrecer al público un acceso libre a las investigaciones ayuda a un mayor intercambio global del conocimiento.
El texto publicado en la Revista de Investigación en Tecnologías de la Información (RITI) se distribuye bajo la licencia Creative Commons (CC BY-NC
), que permite a terceros utilizar lo publicado citando a los autores del trabajo y a RITI, pero sin hacer uso del material con propósitos comerciales.
