Haptic and visual influences on grasp point selection.

Satoshi Endo, Alan Wing, Robert Bracewell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

When using precision grip to pick up objects, there are many possible pairs of grasp points that permit the thumb and index finger to exert opposed forces for secure grip. Previously, it was shown that individuals select grasp points so that the line between them (grasp axis) passes through or near the center of mass (CoM), thus minimizing the torque around the grasp axis during lifting. The accuracy of grasp axis selection depended on object spatial symmetry, indicating the importance of vision. The authors investigated how grasp point selection is influenced by haptic as well as visual information. Ten participants lifted cuboids whose CoM was located either symmetrically in the geometric center or asymmetrically toward one end. Results for the asymmetric cuboid revealed that grasp points migrated toward the asymmetric CoM from the geometric center. This was more pronounced in the presence of visual cues that reliably indicated the location of CoM. The results suggest that grasp point selection is influenced by a multimodal representation of CoM.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)427-31
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of motor behavior
Volume43
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2011

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