System for data management based onhand gestures

A data management device for managing data based on an operator's hand gestures, the device comprising:

• a glove for coupling the device to a hand of a wearer;
• a flexible circuit board coupled to the glove and interposed between a dorsal region of the hand of the wearer and the glove, the circuit board having a base region and a plurality of sensor electrodes of non-mechanical construction;
• a layer of variable resistance resistive material applied to each side of each of the electrodes by non-mechanical means so that each side thereof has a common resistance value when the sensor electrode is in an initial position, the common resistance value of the resistive material diverging upon flexure thereof for indicating flexure of the sensor, wherein the resistance value of the material on one side of the sensor decreases, while the resistance on the other side increases, the resistance values on each side of the sensor diverging to a value corresponding to the degree of flexure of the sensor;
• a power source for applying a different voltage level to each side of each sensor establishing a voltage differential between the two sides and an initial voltage potential on each sensor, wherein hand gestures by the wearer cause flexure of at least one of the sensors causing the resistance value of the material thereon to change, the changing resistance value shifting the initial voltage potential thereon for indicating flexure of the sensor representative of the hand gesture;
• wherein each layer of non-mechanical applied resistive material comprises a variable resistance material that increases and decreases in resistive value linearly in response to flexures thereof, the common resistance value of the resistive material on each sensor diverges linearly upon adduction and abduction of the hand inducing analogous flexure of the sensors, the changing resistance value of the variable resistance material shifting the voltage potential on the sensor linearly to indicate flexure of the sensor and degree of flexure relative to the initial position thereof, the resistive value of the resistance material increasing and decreasing only during flexure of the sensors for shifting the voltage potential only during flexure of the sensors;
• data transmission means for transmitting signals generated by the sensors to a computer means, and signal processing means coupled to the base region of the circuit board, the processing means for processing signals generated by the sensors to generate data representative of the hand gestures of the hand of the wearer for transmitting the date to the computing means with the transmission means;
• and
• flexible conductor means for coupling the sensors to the processing means, the conductor means comprising a pliable metal enabling repeated flexure thereof;
• the flexible circuit board comprising a first layer and a second layer of a flexible insulating material with the conductor means interposed there between.