Children with neuromotor disorders often experience hand impairments that limit independence in daily tasks as well as the acquisition of new skills. Robotic aids like hand exoskeletons can improve function, but many designs fail to meet user needs, reducing adoption. This study collected parental feedback to guide the development of user-centered hand exoskeletons. An anonymous online survey was distributed to the parents of children with neurological disorders and previously treated at IRCCS E. Medea - Associazione "La Nostra Famiglia" in Bosisio Parini, Italy. Only parents of children with upper limb impairments were invited to answer. The survey explored their perceptions of hand exoskeletons, focusing on functional needs, user-friendliness, and training expectations. A total of forty-six surveys were completed, of which three were incomplete and therefore excluded. Of the forty-three considered, 76.3% expressed interest in a hand exoskeleton for their child, identifying dressing, hygiene, and eating as key activities to address. Key issues in the development of an exoskeleton for the parents were weight, comfort, associated aesthetics and trust. User feedback emphasizes the need for comfortable, lightweight designs with aesthetic appeal to reduce stigma. Parents prioritized functional benefits for daily activities over recreational use.

Female soccer is rapidly becoming a widely practiced sport at different levels: this opens up a new demand for systems meant to protect athletes from head impacts or to monitor their effects. The market is offering some solutions in similar sports, but the specificity and high relevance of soccer encourage the development of a dedicated solution. From market analysis, technology scouting, and ethnographic research a set of functional and technical requirements have been defined and proposed. The designed instrumented head band is equipped with one Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) in the occipital area and four contact pressure sensors on the sides. The concept design is low-cost and open-architecture, prioritizing accessibility over complexity. The modularity also ensures that each component (sensing, battery, communication) can be replaced or upgraded independently, enabling iterative refinement and integration into future sports safety systems. In addition to safety monitoring for injury prevention or detection of the traumatic impact, the system is relevant for supporting performance monitoring, rehabilitation or post-injury recovery and other important applications. System engineering has started and the next step is building the prototypes for testing and validation.