A new glove can help Parkinson’s patients control hand tremors.
What does cornstarch and Parkinson’s disease have to do with each other? Well, Parkinson’s disease is a dreadful illness that causes patients hands to shake so much that they can’t do daily activities such as feed themselves or get dressed. A bunch of researchers at the University of Toronto have launched the SteadyOne Glove, and this actually reduces the amount of shaking. The interesting thing is it does this without batteries, without electricity. It’s all mechanical and it uses the same technology that is used to help stabilize buildings in earthquake zones. The corn starch part comes in because the glove uses something called a non-Newtonian fluid. This acts like a liquid at sometimes and a solid at other times, and it can counter those unwanted shakes that Parkinson’s patients have in their hands. So here’s a simple mechanical solution that could have a big impact on the quality of life for Parkinson’s patients.