A soft robotic glove, weighing roughly the same as three eggs, is offering new hope to stroke survivors and children with cerebral palsy in the UAE. The device, known as the HandTasker Rehabilitation Hand, helps patients relearn how to move their hands, a skill often taken for granted.
The glove, developed in Hong Kong, is now being introduced across the UAE through collaborations with local care centres, making advanced rehabilitation technology accessible to patients in the region. It is designed for both adults and children and works by detecting brain and muscle signals to retrain movement after injury.
“This is a robotic hand designed for rehabilitations. It can detect brainwaves from both the brain and the muscles,” said Raymond KY Tong, professor and founding chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, speaking to Khaleej Times on the opening day of the World Health Expo (WHX) at Expo City on Monday. He added that the glove is particularly useful for patients who have suffered a stroke and lost the ability to move, as it helps retrain the brain and restore hand function.
The technology amplifies faint brain signals and translates them into movement through the robotic hand. Repeated sessions allow the brain to form new pathways, bypassing areas damaged by stroke. Tong explained, “After repeating this over time — perhaps around 10 sessions — the brain begins to form new pathways. These bypass the damaged tissue caused by the stroke, allowing the person to regain hand function.”
The device is especially significant in the UAE, where families often seek advanced rehabilitation for loved ones recovering from strokes, brain injuries, or conditions such as cerebral palsy. A paediatric version has been developed for children in special schools, featuring smaller sizing, softer joints, and added padding for comfort. The adaptation has already been used in Asia and is now being implemented locally.
“Even patients with cerebral palsy can use it. We’ve worked with children as young as three to five years old,” Tong said. For children, therapy is designed to feel more like play. The glove allows them to practice gripping objects, writing, or holding toys, keeping them motivated during recovery.
The glove is lightweight, around 300 grams, and can be fitted in about a minute, with software calibration taking an additional minute. Five sizes are available, ranging from small children to adults. HandTasker is intended primarily as a training tool, typically used for one to two months, making it cost-effective and accessible through rehabilitation centres rather than requiring families to purchase it.
Made from soft, waterproof materials, the glove ensures comfort and hygiene for both children and elderly patients. Clinical trials in Hong Kong have shown encouraging results, with more than 40 hospitals and centres adopting the technology and studies reporting improvement in 80 percent of patients.
The HandTasker Rehabilitation Hand represents a promising step forward in rehabilitation, bringing advanced technology and new opportunities for recovery to patients across the UAE.
