An ingenious innovation of a wise glove that costs lower than $1 has been created with the aim to help clinicians during birth. 

The study, published within the open-access journal Frontiers in Global Women’s Health, engineered the device to assist healthcare staff to find the fetal position and the force applied to the fetal head during labor–factors that affect obstructed labor and poor birth outcomes.

A boon for low-resource regions, the low-cost glove can provide real-time data during vaginal examinations.

Normally, clinicians have a wide selection of medical technologies at their disposal to find out the reason for any problem that will arise during labor. Unfortunately, in low- and middle-income countries, these technologies and expert staff, who can use them, are in brief supply. The researchers attribute 98% of stillbirths that occur in such countries to this problem, acoording to EurekaAlert.  

Considered one of the main aspects of dangerous birth is when the position or size of the fetus blocks the passage of the child through the birth canal, called obstructed labor.

The researchers designed the device using an easy surgical glove on which they printed flexible pressure and force sensors on the fingertips. The sensors contain metal-oxide nanocomposites that produce an electrical current when touched or rubbed against objects. Made with a whole lot of thought, the sensors were made thin enough to not obscure a physician’s sense of touch. Moreover, a second normal surgical glove will be worn over the smart glove. This can ensure sterile conditions within the vaginal cavity. 

Also, a smartphone app has also been developed which allows doctors to view the information in real-time.

For the study, researchers created silicone elastomer models of a baby’s head, which mimic the fragile surface structures of an actual fetal head. Next, an experienced obstetrician was asked to perform mock vaginal examinations on the silicone heads using the smart glove to check whether the device was competent enough to point the fetal position and measure the force applied to the top.

Following evaluation, it was found that the smart glove successfully detected the joints between the “bones” of the model heads. There was a surge in electrical current each time the glove’s finger omitted it, the study showed. The researchers noted that this finding will allow a clinician to find out where these joints are, and in turn, the orientation of the fetus. Furthermore, the glove was capable of measure the force applied to the heads, and that data was provided in real-time on the smartphone app.

With great initial success, scientists now need to conduct trials in humans to envision their efficacy in real-world situations. The technology will also be used as a training tool in low-cost regions.

“That is the primary glove of its kind that could possibly be used to discover the fetal position and subsequently may have the option to enhance labor outcomes,” Dr. Shireen Jaufuraully of University College London, lead writer on the study, said, as per the outlet. “We hope that with successful clinical translation, the glove could also be used worldwide, increasing the security of assisted vaginal birth.”