Fine Motor Control with CBR Protective Gloves

Abstract

Using a within-subjects design, performance on a continuous cursor control task was measured in three conditions: no gloves, flight gloves, and a combination of three gloves worn simultaneously for chemical, biological, or radiological (CBR) protection. Twelve subjects used their left ring finger on a two-axis force controller to move a cursor on a CRT. After centering it over one of eight possible targets, they depressed the controller to designate the target and end a trial. Time to acquire the target and accuracy in centering the cursor over the target were recorded. Subjects had faster acquisition times in the two glove conditions with no increase in errors, although only the difference between the CBR gloves and no-gloves was statistically significant. My explanation for these findings is that the thickness of the gloves may have improved the fit of the fingertip in the force controller, which was concave, and also prevented the finger from slipping by increasing the coefficient of friction between the finger and the controller.