Datasets of fingertip forces while grasping a handle with unsteady thumb platform

Abstract

This article presents the fingertip forces and moments data of the individual fingers and thumb when the thumb was placed on an unsteady platform, when the mass of the handle was systematically increased and when the thumb normal force was restricted while grasping a handle. Further, this article also includes a dataset while the thumb makes vertical movements such as extension (or upward motion) and flexion movement (or downward motion) during the static holding of a handle. An instrumented five-finger prehension handle was designed with a vertical railing on the thumb side. A slider platform was placed over the railing to mount the thumb force sensor. Further, a laser displacement sensor was mounted on top of the handle towards the thumb side to record the displacement of the thumb platform. The dataset includes fingertip forces, orientation of the handle, and the displacement data of thumb platform. This data helps therapists assess the degree of thumb disability, the contribution of ulnar fingers in establishing static equilibrium of a handheld object.