The description in this article from January (in Portuguese)[0] seems to indicate that the gloves are completely passive, constantly pulling his fingers outward. He says he wears them constantly to get used to his hands being open, as before they were always somewhat closed.
How do these gloves work? It seems like the Chicago Tribune is wholly uninterested in even making an attempt to explain it. Maybe they really are 'magic' gloves.
Ludomir Benedyktowicz (1844–1926) got his both hands chopped off at the age of 18 while fighting in a Polish uprising against Russia. This did not deter him from becoming a painter. You can see his low-tech prosthesis and a few of his paintings on Wikipedia[0].
Yeah, I got to know Benedyktowicz at the end of a long and winding experience that led me to read on the beginnings of the Krakow Chess Club (he was a founder). Depending on your outlook, it happened either by chance or by destiny.
Yes, see the videos I linked earlier. Short version is that the pianist can press the keys but finds it difficult to lift their fingers up after pressing. The gloves have some sort of mechanism and design put into them to assist the pianist by making it easier to lift their fingers after pressing keys.
[0]https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2020/01/joao-carlos-...