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Soft tissue strain energy minimization: a candidate control scheme for intra-finger normal-tangential force
1Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, Biomechanics Laboratory, 39 Rec Bldg, University Park, PA 16802, USA. tcp120@psu.edu
Journal of Biomechanics
|June 17, 2005
Summary
Humans grasp objects with a safety margin (SM) due to the central nervous system minimizing finger pad strain energy. This control strategy, requiring no friction knowledge, naturally prevents slip.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Neuroscience
- Robotics
Background:
- The safety margin (SM) phenomenon describes over-grasping to prevent object slip.
- Understanding the biomechanical basis of SM is crucial for grasp control research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and investigate a hypothesis on intra-finger force coordination for SM.
- To explore the central nervous system's (CNS) role in minimizing finger pad strain energy.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a finite element model (FEM) of finger pad tissue.
- Solved an optimization problem for strain energy minimization.
- Simulated normal-tangential force coordination strategies.
Main Results:
- The proposed CNS control scheme yielded SM values of 30-50%.
- These simulated SM values closely matched experimental findings.
- Slip prevention was achieved when the friction coefficient exceeded 0.7.
Conclusions:
- CNS strain energy minimization is a plausible mechanism underlying the SM phenomenon.
- This control strategy is effective without explicit knowledge of friction.
- The findings contribute to understanding human grasp control and inform robotic grasping.