Here at Bresslergroup we have recently started using a force-sensing "glove" for ergonomic research and analysis. We use the FingerTPS ("tactile pressure sensing") system from Pressure Profile Systems. Both the hardware and software are very easy to set-up and use; and we've been applying it to a range of projects including consumer, industrial and medical product design.
For example, we can measure the force applied over time for particular fingers when operating various controls on products (e.g. touchscreen versus five-way controller). Besides benchmarking product controls, we can evaluate the relative strengths of different types of users (e.g. children, adults, disabled users) to advise on appropriate control design.
See the video below from PPS that explains how the system works:
