Do Tangential Finger Forces Utilize Mechanical Advantage During Moment of Force production?

This study investigated the beneficial effects of the utilization of mechanical advantage (MA) of finger tangential forces during the moment production. Subjects produced the resistive moment of force against the external torque while the moment arms of the tangential forces were systematically changed. We observed a relatively large contribution to the net moment by the tangential forces with the increased moment arms, whereas the vector sum of normal and tangential forces decreased. The indices of multi-finger coordination for the stabilization of the moment of forces and force direction increased with the moment arms. The current results provide evidence that the utilization of MA is associated with both the efficiency of force production and the stabilization of performance variables.