Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremors patients often struggle with shaky hands and forearms. This can make common daily activities extremely difficult, such as eating, drinking, writing, putting on makeup, or getting dressed. We have written about devices to help compensate for hand tremors, including gloves, sleeves, and even smart spoons.

Steadiwear, an award-winning University of Toronto Impact Centre startup company, recently launched the Steadi-One Glove to reduce the effects of shaking hands and forearms. We first wrote about the glove back in 2016, and now the product has come to market. Steadiwear founder Mark Elias developed the Steadi-One Glove after observing his grandmother spilling coffee on herself due to uncontrollable hand tremors. The Steadi-One Glove uses the same ball joint and tuned mass damping technologies that have been developed to protect buildings during earthquakes.

The Steadi-One Glove has a ball joint surrounded by a non-Newtonian fluid: a slurry-like liquid in which the viscosity is determined by an applied force, not by temperature or pressure. (You can make your own similar material by mixing corn starch and water.) The glove does not resist voluntary motions, which have a relatively low frequency: less than 2Hz. The material solidifies in the presence of the greater than 2Hz higher frequency motion of tremors. In addition, a tuned mass damper in the glove is a counterweight that moves in the opposite direction of detected tremors. Neither the ball joint nor the tuned mass damper requires electricity, so there are no batteries or need for recharging.

According to Steadiwear, the Steadi-One Glove is classified as a Class 1 medical device and registered with the FDA. The glove is also machine washable and uses a BOA knob closure system for a secure, comfortable fit. The mass stabilizer does include a magnet, which might rule out use by people with pacemakers or other implanted electronic devices.

The Steadi-One Glove isn’t a cure for Parkinson’s Disease or Essential Tremors, but in this case, it sounds as though treating the symptoms may significantly improve the quality of life of patients with either disease. At $999 purchased directly from the company, the Steadi-One Glove isn’t inexpensive, although a $200 discount during February 2020 eases the financial pain a bit.