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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Three-Dimensional Finger Motion Tracking during Needling: A Solution for the Kinematic Analysis of Acupuncture Manipulation
Published on: October 28, 2021
Scalability of the muscular action in a parametric 3D model of the index finger
Joaquín L Sancho-Bru1, Margarita Vergara, Pablo-Jesús Rodríguez-Cervantes
1Departament d'Enginyeria Mecànica i Construcció, Universitat Jaume I, Campus de Riu Sec, E-12071, Castelló, Spain. sancho@emc.uji.es
Abstract:
A method for scaling the muscle action is proposed and used to achieve a 3D inverse dynamic model of the human finger with all its components scalable. This method is based on scaling the physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) in a Hill muscle model. Different anthropometric parameters and maximal grip force data have been measured and their correlations have been analyzed and used for scaling the PCSA of each muscle. A linear relationship between the normalized PCSA and the product of the length and breadth of the hand has been finally used for scaling, with a slope of 0.01315 cm(-2), with the length and breadth of the hand expressed in centimeters. The parametric muscle model has been included in a parametric finger model previously developed by the authors, and it has been validated reproducing the results of an experiment in which subjects from different population groups exerted maximal voluntary forces with their index finger in a controlled posture.
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