ScanGlove

The “ScanGlove“ project focuses on the development of an ultrasonic glove for position-accurate 3D imaging on any surface.

Ultrasonic methods enable imaging of the interior of components with minimal equipment and without altering or endangering the objects. These advantages have made ultrasound an important technology in medicine and non-destructive testing (NDT). Advances in electronic hardware, signal processing and imaging algorithms, and artificial intelligence for image interpretation are expected to lead to rapid expansion of ultrasound imaging, especially in consumer-oriented markets. Despite these advances, existing ultrasound devices are not capable of quickly combining ultrasound and location information of complex structures on site.

ScanGlove aims to develop a handheld ultrasonic system in the form of a slip-on glove for NDT in industrial environments. Ultrasonic transducers are integrated into the glove, and their positions change with the movement of the hand. These positions are recorded and evaluated together with the ultrasonic signals, enabling a novel and flexible way of inspecting arbitrarily curved surfaces. The ultrasonic glove allows intuitive, haptic-controlled material testing, even on structures that are difficult to access and complex in shape. The ScanGlove can convert the ultrasonic sensor data into spatial images in real time, thus achieving continuously improvable image quality. In addition, the glove opens up possibilities for various measurement modes, such as flow measurements or particle detection in pipelines. While the primary focus is on industrial applications of NDT, a later application in the medical field is also being pursued, particularly in dentistry. The combination of ultrasound and position information in a portable system represents a significant innovation that greatly expands the possibilities of non-destructive testing, especially in areas where complex dismantling or other testing methods are currently required.

The project partners involved are the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS and the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM.