GETMILK

Latch — Long-Distance Empathy Glove

A pair of soft haptic gloves that mirror each other in real time. Squeeze one and your grandmother across the country feels the same gentle pressure on her palm. Designed for caregivers, partners, and grieving families.

complexity: mediumtolerance: precision
Latch — Long-Distance Empathy Glove

Snapshot

Feasibility at a glance

PT localization

8/10

High

The whole build can be sourced in Portugal.

Per unit

€140–€220 per pair

at 200-unit volume

Starter batch

200units

minimum viable run

To first batch

12weeks

6 phases, design to ship

Budget

€28K–€62K

all-in estimate

Bottom line

Industrial flat-bed knitting, conductive yarn on the palm grid only.
Read full insight

Picked based on the localization score (8/10) plus the dominant process (smt assembly). For an early build at this batch size, this gives you the best balance of cost, risk, and speed of iteration.

What it does

4 capabilities

Reads the wearer's grip pressure across a soft sensor woven into the palm.

Sends an encrypted pressure pattern to the paired glove anywhere on Earth.

Inflates micro air bladders in the receiving glove to recreate the squeeze.

Logs only the timing of the touches — never the pressure data — for memory keepsakes.

How it's made

3 stations · build route

  1. 1

    Knit the shells

    Industrial flat-bed knitting, conductive yarn on the palm grid only.

  2. 2

    Build the wrist module

    Tiny 4-layer PCB, micro-pump and 250 mAh cell in a TPU housing.

  3. 3

    Pair, test, ship

    Each pair is paired and burned-in for 24 hours before it ever leaves the workshop.

Risks to watch

3 identified · 1 blocking

1 high
2 medium

High

Single-source ICs become unobtainable

Modern designs almost always include one IC with ≥30 week lead times when demand spikes.

Mitigation — Pin the BOM to two qualified part numbers per critical line and place rolling forecast orders.

Medium

Firmware ships before it's stable

Hardware looks done, software is still landing fixes — early customers feel it.

Mitigation — Hold the launch ship-date on a single firmware-stability KPI, not on hardware readiness alone.

Medium

CE / FCC test fail on first attempt

Most first-time radios fail EMC; budget a re-spin.

Mitigation — Pre-scan in a partner anechoic chamber before the official lab visit.

Production timeline

12 weeks to first batch

wk 1wk 7

SMT pick-and-place

wk 1–2

PCB fabrication

wk 3

Soldering

wk 4

Wire-harness build

wk 5

Cable assembly

wk 6

Functional QA & batch sign-off

wk 7

wk 1–2 is the longest stretch — SMT pick-and-place takes 2 weeks of the 7 weeks on this build.

What goes into it

6 materials · 7 processes

Materials

Merino wool blend knit (shell)Conductive silver yarnSoft TPU air bladdersFlexible PCBESP32-S3 microcontrollerUSB-C lithium-polymer cell

Processes

smt_assemblypcb_fabricationsolderingwire_harnesscable_assemblyfinal_assemblypackaging

Design philosophy and best practices

5 principles

A remote-touch glove senses pressure on one hand and recreates it on another. It has to feel like normal clothing, survive washing and flexing, and keep delay low enough that touch feels natural.

1

Keep electronics off the flexing zones

Put the board and battery on the back of the wrist, and use conductive yarn or flexible circuits only where the hand bends.

2

Design for skin contact and washing

The glove touches skin for long periods. Check materials against EU REACH restrictions and make the electronics removable for washing.

3

Budget latency end to end

Touch feels wrong if sensing, radio and actuation add up to too much delay. Measure the full chain, not just the network.

4

Use soft, low-pressure actuation

Small TPU air bladders give a gentle squeeze. Limit pressure and add a release path so the glove can never pinch.

5

Plan radio certification early

A Wi-Fi or Bluetooth device sold in the EU needs Radio Equipment Directive compliance. Using a pre-certified module saves time.

Common pitfalls

Avoid

Conductive yarn connections that crack after a few hundred flex cycles.

Avoid

Sizing one glove for all hands, which ruins sensor placement.

Avoid

Ignoring sweat, which changes sensor readings and corrodes contacts.

Avoid

Leaving pairing and privacy to the end, when users expect secure links between two people.

10-year evolution forecast (2026-2036)

4 phases

Smart textiles and haptics are slowly moving from labs into consumer products. The points below are trends.

2026–2028

Better textile sensors

Trend: knitted pressure sensors become more repeatable and washable.

2028–2031

Richer feedback

Trend: combined pressure, warmth and vibration make remote touch feel more natural.

2031–2034

Care and therapy uses

Trend: interest grows in remote touch for elderly care and long-distance families.

2034–2036

Repairable textile electronics

Trend: EU ecodesign rules push for removable electronics and recyclable fabrics.

Outlook

Expect success to depend on comfort, washability and simple pairing more than on sensor count.

Materials intelligence

6 materials

Merino wool blend yarn

Low supply risk

Knit glove shell

Sourced from: Merino wool comes mainly from Australia and New Zealand; spinning and knitting are common in Portugal and Italy.

Silver-coated conductive yarn

Medium supply risk

Stretchable sensor and signal paths

Sourced from: Made by a small number of specialist yarn producers in Europe, the US and Asia.

Silver price swings affect cost.

TPU film

Low supply risk

Air bladders

Sourced from: Thermoplastic polyurethane is produced in Europe, the US and China.

Polyimide flexible PCB

Medium supply risk

Flexible circuit on the back of the hand

Sourced from: Flexible circuits are mostly made in China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

ESP32-S3 microcontroller module

Medium supply risk

Processing and wireless link

Sourced from: Designed in China and made by Asian foundries; widely stocked by distributors.

Lithium-ion / lithium-polymer cells

High supply risk

Battery

Sourced from: Cell production is dominated by China, South Korea and Japan; EU cell capacity is growing but limited.

Shipping follows UN 38.3; EU battery rules add labelling and recycling duties.

Prototyping and rapid manufacturing in Portugal

5 companies from the atlas

Keenfinity EMS

Ovar

PCB fabrication, SMT assembly and test

Flexible and rigid control boards.

Exatronic

Aveiro

PCB fabrication and SMT assembly

Control board prototypes.

Systion Electronics

Setúbal

Electronics soldering

Hand soldering of yarn-to-board connections.

Tecnocabel

Cable assembly

Short cables between glove and wrist pod.

Cabelte

Lousado, Vila Nova de Famalicão

Wire harness

Internal harness to the pump and bladders.

414 Portuguese manufacturers matched

None cover the whole build — it splits across steps.