Prediction of anatomically and biomechanically feasible precision grip posture of the human hand based on minimization of muscle effort

Abstract

We developed a method to estimate a biomechanically feasible precision grip posture of the human hand for a given object based on a minimization of the muscle effort. The hand musculoskeletal model was constructed as a chain of 21 rigid links with 37 intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. To grasp an object, the static force and moment equilibrium condition of the object, force balance between the muscle and fingertip forces, and static frictional conditions must be satisfied. We calculated the hand posture, fingertip forces, and muscle activation signals for a given object to minimize the square sum of the muscle activations while satisfying the above kinetic constraints using an evolutionary optimization technique. To evaluate the estimated hand posture and fingertip forces, a wireless fingertip force-sensing device with two six-axis load cells was developed. When grasping the object, the fingertip forces and hand posture were experimentally measured to compare with the corresponding estimated values. The estimated hand postures and fingertip forces were in reasonable agreement to the corresponding measured data, indicating that the proposed hand posture estimation method based on the minimization of muscle effort is effective for the virtual ergonomic assessment of a handheld product.

SenGlove - A Modular Wearable Device To Measure Kinematic Parameters Of The Human Hand

“…It could also be considered to combine the support structure with the sensors and use e-textile technology for the wearable (cp. [55][56][57][58] or to discuss the integration of actoric components [13,24]. Additional challenges for such wearables like washability or the standardization of their development (cp.…”

“…A broad variety of wearable devices has been developed for the use at the human hand [3,21]. Very often the main focus is an active, actoric support of the hand with exoskeleton systems [8][9][10]12,13,22], the provision of haptic feedback [7] or non-kinematic parameters like the measurement of pressure [23,24] or the use of electromyography (EMG) [9,11,25] are examined. Especially for the use of EMG, the wearable has to be extended at least to Disclaimer/Publisher's Note: The statements, opinions, and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s).…”

SenGlove—A Modular Wearable Device to Measure Kinematic Parameters of The Human Hand

“…It could also be considered to combine the support structure with the sensors and use e-textile technology for the wearable (cp. [ 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]) or to discuss the integration of actoric components [ 13 , 24 ]. Additional challenges for such wearables, such as washability or the standardization of their development (cp.…”

“…A broad variety of wearable devices has been developed for the human hand to use [ 3 , 21 ]. Very often, the main focus is on an active, actoric support of the hand with exoskeleton systems [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 , 22 ], the provision of haptic feedback [ 7 ] or non-kinematic parameters such as the measurement of pressure [ 23 , 24 ] or the use of electromyography (EMG) [ 9 , 11 , 25 ]. Especially for the use of EMG, the wearable has to be extended at least to the lower arm [ 25 ].…”

SenGlove - A Modular Wearable Device To Measure Kinematic Parameters Of The Human Hand

“…A broad variety of wearable devices has been developed for the the human hand to use [3,21]. Very often the main focus is on an active, actoric support of the hand with exoskeleton systems [8][9][10]12,13,22], the provision of haptic feedback [7] or nonkinematic parameters like the measurement of pressure [23,24] or the use of electromyography (EMG) [9,11,25]. Especially for the use of EMG, the wearable has to be extended at least Version February 24, 2023 submitted to Bioengineering 2 of 34 to the lower arm [25].…”