Figure 7.

(a,b) Representative examples of pressure distributions measured using an instrumented cylinder while grasped by a healthy subject in the pinch configuration in the gloved and ungloved conditions, respectively. (c) Bar charts showing the normalized magnitudes of each pressure peak from (a,b) in more quantitative detail. (d,e) Plots of the force–current relationship of a relaxed, healthy subject in the gloved condition grasping a dynamometer for pinch and cylindrical grasps, respectively. Pressure distributions of a healthy subject’s grasp on the instrumented cylinder remained roughly the same both with and without the glove. The glove condition appears to shift a marginal fraction of the grasp pressure from the thumb to the other fingers, primarily the index finger. Output fingertip forces of the glove show a linear and repeatable relationship with motor current for both pinch and cylindrical grasp types. The slope of the force–current relationship appears to shift with grasp type.