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Adv."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Manual palpation is a cornerstone of medical assessment, yet its subjective nature limits its ability to provide quantitative data of characteristics like tissue hardness. Here, we introduce DigiPalp, a wearable smart glove designed to enable real-time 4D tactile scanning, combining 3D surface mapping with a tissue hardness measurement at each point. This quick (typically &lt;0.5 seconds) and noninvasive measurement is achieved through a fusion of custom piezoresistive pressure sensors and magnetic position sensors embedded into the glove\u2019s fingertips. By featuring silicone-encapsulated stretchable wiring, the hand\u2019s natural range of motion is maintained to support a workflow like conventional palpation. We show that the system can reliably differentiate six hardness levels across the soft tissue range, identify small, harder nodules (down to 5-millimeter radius) embedded in silicone phantoms, mimicking tumor detection, and demonstrate the system\u2019s capability on complex tissue through a full 4D scan of the torso of a living person.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.aeh1033","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T17:59:39Z","timestamp":1787767179000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["DigiPalp: Quantifying palpation of tissue hardness and surface geometry with a smart sensor-equipped glove"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-2295-0134","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Vera","family":"Pamminger","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"sendance GmbH, Pulverm\u00fchlstrasse 3, 4040 Linz, Austria."},{"name":"Division of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstrasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria."},{"name":"Soft Materials Lab, Linz Institute of Technology, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstrasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9514-5311","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Robert","family":"Koeppe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"sendance GmbH, Pulverm\u00fchlstrasse 3, 4040 Linz, Austria."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0190-2407","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Clemens","family":"Schartm\u00fcller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"sendance GmbH, Pulverm\u00fchlstrasse 3, 4040 Linz, Austria."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4645-2822","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Thomas","family":"Stockinger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"sendance GmbH, Pulverm\u00fchlstrasse 3, 4040 Linz, Austria."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7247-9183","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Martin","family":"Kaltenbrunner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Experimental Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstrasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria."},{"name":"Soft Materials Lab, Linz Institute of Technology, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstrasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"221","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","first-page":"290","article-title":"A history of physical examination texts and the conception of bedside diagnosis","volume":"122","author":"Verghese A.","year":"2011","unstructured":"A. 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