Grip force when grasping moving cylinders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the forces at the fingers that are produced when intercepting moving cylinders (in a simulated assembly line). The contributions of several characteristics of the moving cylinder on the grip and load forces produced at the fingers during capturing and lifting were studied. Specifically, the contributions of cylinder mass, velocity, momentum, and the transient torque values generated when the fingers contacted the cylinder were evaluated. Participants grasped heavy, medium and light cylinders that were instrumented with force/torque transducers that moved at slow, medium and fast velocities along a moving track. The masses and velocities were chosen such that several of the mass/velocity combinations shared the same momentum values. Results showed that both momentum (a product of both mass and velocity) and torque influenced grip force production. These results are discussed in terms of anticipatory versus on-line control of grasping, and worker safety. Relevance to industry The results of this study provide data about grip force production when intercepting and grasping moving cylinders that can be used for designing assembly line protocols for potentially reducing the increased force production that is associated with repetitive strain injury.