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06:31
Force and Position Control in Humans - The Role of Augmented Feedback
Published on: June 19, 2016
Haptic-motor transformations for the control of finger position
Daisuke Shibata1, Jason Y Choi, Juan C Laitano
1Kinesiology Program, College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.
Plos One
|June 14, 2013
Summary
Humans are less accurate at sensing the vertical distance between finger pads with the opposite hand or when hand postures don't match. This proprioceptive deficit may impact manipulation tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Motor Control
- Somatosensation
Background:
- Dexterous manipulation requires precise control of digit forces based on finger placement.
- The sense of vertical distance between finger pads (dy) is crucial for manipulation but poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the accuracy of reproducing perceived vertical finger pad distance (dy).
- To investigate the influence of hand congruence and posture on dy reproduction accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Subjects matched perceived vertical finger pad distance (dy) between reference and test hands after a 10-second delay without vision.
- Reference hand postures included collinear (dy=0 mm) and non-collinear (dy=±30 mm) placements.
- Test hand postures were congruent or inverse to the reference hand, using the same or opposite hand.
Main Results:
- Matching errors were greater for collinear distances and non-congruent hand postures, confirming hypotheses.
- Under-estimation errors occurred with non-congruent postures and when using the opposite hand.
- Accuracy was reduced when reproducing dy with the opposite hand compared to the same hand.
Conclusions:
- Perceived finger pad distance is reproduced less accurately with the opposite hand and requires more complex somatosensory processing for non-congruent postures.
- Inaccurate sensing of finger pad distance may lead to errors in digit force modulation during manipulation tasks.
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