Deep tech startup Cybosense BV has partnered with SenseGlove to develop self-healing, bioelectronic 3D printed smart gloves.
Based in Delft, Netherlands, SenseGlove specializes in the production of wearable haptic gloves. Their products allow users to feel physical sensations in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) environments.
Meanwhile, Cybosense, a spinout from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), has developed a 3D printable, stretchable bioelectronic material capable of sensing a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological signals. This enables live monitoring of hand gestures and external pressures. It also features self-healing bioelectronics, which can repair themselves after damage, making it more durable than other wearable electronics.
Through this collaboration, Cybosense will integrate its novel material directly into SenseGlove’s haptic gloves.
Supported by a €200,000 grant from the Dutch funding agencies RVO and the Province of Zuid-Holland, the partnership seeks to advance hand-worn technology for defense, industrial, and space exploration applications.
“This partnership represents a significant step towards the future of wearable intelligence for human machine interfacing,” explained Professor Alireza Dolatshahi-Pirouz, Cybosense’s Founder and CEO. “By combining our biomaterials capabilities that are 3D printable, bio-electronic, biosensing and self-healing with SenseGlove’s haptic expertise, we are developing a technology that not only enhances human-machine interaction but also provides real-time health and performance monitoring in extreme environments.”
3D printing enables next-generation glove technology
Based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Cybosense was founded in 2023 with the goal of “revolutionizing human machine interfacing” for defense applications. The company has developed proprietary, 3D printable bioelectronics that are electroconductive, self-healing, stretchable, and feature multi-biomarker biosensors.
Its current products include UNIQUE Skin, a functional biofabricated human skin model developed with Ourobionics BV and Smart Biomaterials Consortium (SBMC). Cybosense provided the biosensors for this initiative, enabling the model to closely replicate real skin for drug testing, regenerative medicine, and tissue therapeutics.
The tech startup is integrating its novel technology into SenseGlove’s product line. In defense applications, the 3D printed smart gloves deliver live haptic feedback and heightened tactile perception. These capabilities enable early detection of dehydration, stress, or injury, allowing for faster medical intervention on the battlefield. The gloves also enhance grip strength and sensitivity, boosting performance in combat environments that demand precision and situational awareness.
Beyond defense applications, Cybosense and SenseGlove’s 3D printable bio-electronic smart gloves offer value for industrial manufacturing settings. Here, they could monitor worker fatigue, detect harmful chemical exposure, and improve dexterity for precision tasks.
In hazardous environments, the gloves provide continuous safety monitoring, alerting users early to physiological stressors or toxic exposure. They can also support automation and robotics by enabling more intuitive, precise control of machinery through live biometric feedback.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Cybosense on this groundbreaking project,” commented Frank Goovaerts, CEO of SenseGlove. “Our goal is to redefine wearable haptics by integrating biosensing and self-healing materials, creating a new paradigm in human augmentation.”
In space exploration, 3D printable smart gloves could help astronauts track vital signs while preserving tactile interaction in microgravity. They could also enhance extravehicular activity (EVA) by delivering health diagnostics, such as oxygen levels, muscle fatigue, and thermal regulation. By integrating haptic feedback with biosensing, the gloves would further enable precise robotic teleoperation, allowing astronauts to perform complex remote tasks with greater control and accuracy.
Developments in wearable electronics
3D printed wearable electronics are nothing new. In 2023, researchers from Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP) collaborated with Japanese electronics firm Panasonic to develop a new 3D printer optimized for wearable electronics. This new system uses multi-wavelength, high-power lasers to fabricate smart and flexible electronic devices rapidly.
Launched in 2016, the project aims to develop a novel 3D printing process for organic polymers and carbon-based materials such as graphene. These materials can then be coated onto flexible substrates, allowing for the creation of stretchable and bendable electronic circuits. The group’s 3D printer attracted interest from American manufacturer JABIL, which worked to integrate 3D printed graphene-based electronics into a smart infusion system.
In other news, researchers at the University of Arizona’s College of Engineering previously used 3D printing to create a smart health monitoring device. Called ‘bio-symbiotic,’ the tracker is capable of operating continuously without needing to be manually recharged. It harvests electricity via a power casting unit. This power is then used to capture biosignals generated by wearers during exercise.
At the heart of the wearable device is an FDM 3D printed mesh that naturally adheres to different areas of the body without adhesives. The team embedded miniature sensors onto flexible nodes, linked together by stretchable serpentine interconnects. The device collects data and transmits it to a computer through its integrated Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chip for real-time analysis.
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Featured image shows various hand gestures monitored with Sybosense’s self-healable bionic E-glove. Image via Wiley.
