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Related Experiment Videos

Anticipating load torques produced by voluntary movements

A M Wing1, S J Lederman

  • 1Medical Research Council Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge, England. a.m.wing@bham.ac.uk

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|December 23, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Grip force anticipates load torque, not just linear forces. This suggests the brain uses object center of mass information for stable manipulation during movement.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Motor Control
  • Human Factors

Background:

  • Object stability relies on friction from grip force counteracting load forces.
  • Previous studies show grip force anticipates gravitational and inertial loads during lifting and moving.
  • This indicates anticipatory coordination between grip and load forces.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if grip force also anticipates load torque.
  • To determine if anticipatory grip adjustments occur when the grasp axis is misaligned with the object's center of mass.

Main Methods:

  • Participants held objects with grasp points offset from the object's center of mass.
  • Load torques were induced during lifting and moving tasks.
  • Grip force adjustments were measured in response to these induced torques.

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Main Results:

  • Participants adjusted grip force in anticipation of destabilizing load torques.
  • These anticipatory adjustments occurred even when the grasp axis was deliberately offset from the object's center of mass.

Conclusions:

  • Grip force control anticipates not only linear load forces but also load torques.
  • Anticipatory grip adjustments suggest the use of object's center of mass information in motor planning for stable manipulation.