Quantifying Differences among Ten Fingers in Force Control Capabilities by a Modified Meyer Model

Abstract

Quantifiable differences among fingers in force control capability have both important practical and theoretical values in characterizing force control of accurate finger-tapping tasks. Following the classical Fitts’ law paradigm, we quantified the differences among ten fingers in term of speed–accuracy trade-off (SAT) in performing repetitive discrete force control tasks. Visual cues displaying targeted force magnitudes and tolerances were provided. Users were required to apply the targeted force within the given tolerance quickly and accurately by pressing a force sensor using the specified finger. We found that ten fingers obeyed the Meyer model in the SAT performance and they differed in reaction time, the index of performance (IP), and the goodness of fit for the Meyer model. A modified Meyer model was proposed to quantify the difference between ten fingers in the SAT performance using only one parameter, making the quantification easier than using the original Meyer model. Pairwise comparisons showed that the differences between symmetrical fingers on both hands were insignificant except for the pair of index fingers. These findings provided us with multiple perspectives on the differentiation among ten fingers in the force control capabilities. Our study helps lay the foundation for engineering systems that rely on finger force control ability.