The problem
About 650,000 Germans and 2.9 million people in Europe suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is an incurable, autoimmune disease that affects the joints. The goal of Art-Glove is to help not just these people but anybody else with hand discomfort because of surgery, injury, overuse, stroke, sports, etc.
Our solution
Art-Glove is a wireless, wearable and stylish glove that massages patients hands, relieves their pain, stiffness and reduces swelling. This unique fingerless and lightweight system allows users to perform daily activities without any inconvenience or restriction. Compared to medications, which are usually used for relief, Art-Glove does not trigger any side effects. Moreover, Art-Glove is not a medical device that constantly reminds users of their condition, but a beautiful glove that provides constant relief. Several doctors and physiotherapist got already convinced of the concept of Art-Glove.
Our prototype
Art-Glove has three small adjustable vibration motors with massaging function located on the palm-side of the glove. Additionally, it has an independent air pressure system which massages the joints of the hand including each finger joint. The glove is made of compression fabric that improves the blood circulation. Furthermore, all cables and hoses are hidden in the glove. The serial production of the air pockets is currently being developed. Other useful features will follow but are still confidential.
Comfortable to wear
The compression fabric that the glove is made of gives the patient a comfortable and refreshing feeling while wearing it. Furthermore, it helps the blood circulation, which is important for the hand´s mobility. This product could help users not only physically but also mentally. About 16.8% people, who are suffering from RA, which is just a part of our target group, also suffer from depression. With Art-Glove, users will not feel like they are using a medical device that constantly reminds them of their disease, but a nice glove that provides a constant relief.
Our business model
It is statistically proven that a massage has positive effects on the pain treatment, blood circulation and wellbeing. Therefore, Art-Glove is the perfect massaging device for people who do not want to take strong medicine with side effects to relieve the pain and be still mobile and flexible to perform daily basic tasks if desired.
Furthermore, rheumatoid arthritis is not curable. Art-Glove is a realistic alternative for patients looking for a practical and innovative product to relieve the pain caused by this disease without taking strong medicine to relieve the pain, stiffness and swollenness.
Art-Glove’s goal is to become the “number 1” product used by at least 650,000 Germans and another 2,200,000 Europeans to relieve the pain and joint stiffness caused by RA and by many more with hand discomfort. The product will be sold directly to the customer or indirectly through licensing model.
The Art-Glove team
Daniela Venegas
Daniela Venegas, who is from Colombia, graduated with Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, which gave her the basis to address different needs from a design perspective.
Daniela is a Master’s graduate in the degree program Usability Engineering at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Art-Glove was born out of a personal need of Daniela´s mother, who was diagnosed with RA. This motivated Daniela to create a product that could help to relieve the disease. The university gave Daniela an opportunity to develop the product and also to gain programming, testing and prototyping knowledge. She also spent many hours in the FabLab of the university, while developing and improving her first prototype. Daniela is in Art-Glove responsible for product design and business development.
Philippe Giacomo Vayda
Philippe Giacomo Vayda is German and he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Cartography and Geomedia Engineering. During his bachelor studies he was part of a formula student racing team for three years. There he learned to design, build, and validate race car components. He also completed several internships in the field of car development.
Philippe is a Master’s graduate in the program Usability Engineering at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. Thanks to his education and experience, he has a wide range of technical, financial, aesthetic and testing knowledge, which he brings to the Art-Glove project. In addition, during his studies he understood the importance of including user context in the development of products. His role in Art-Glove is to provide mainly technical and functional support in order to achieve project goals.
Daniel Quellmelz
Daniel Quellmelz is our new CFO. He has over 22 years of experience in the fields of accounting, payslip, controlling, and tax declaration. Further, he is a volunteer in tutoring mathematics. Daniel is convinced that Art-Glove is a real relieve for everyone with hand discomfort.
Best Idea Cup
The team of Art-Glove won the Best Idea Cup 2019 of the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and also successfully acquired the Gründerstipendium NRW. Daniela and Philippe developed Art-Glove also in their Master´s thesis and are now working on the development of the idea at the Technical University in Munich.
Support Art-Glove
“To bring Art-Glove to the market and to ensure the best user experience, we need to know the opinion of our customers.” Philippe Vayda.
The team invites all people who have above mentioned symptoms or are professionally involved in this field to contact Daniela, Philippe, and Daniel and participate in the development of Art-Glove. Further, the team of Art-Glove is now looking for new team members (paid positions) with competences in adaptive manufacturing, electrical and mechanical engineering, textile, and health.