Numerical Finger Kinematic Models Derived From Virtual Grasping of Various Cylindrical Objects With the Family of Conic Sections

Abstract

Abstract In this study, a numerical framework for joint rotation configuration models of a finger is proposed. The basic idea is to replicate the finger’s geometric posture observed when the human hand grasps a cylindrical object with various cross sections. In the model development, objects with the cross section adopted from the curves of order two (the family of conic sections) are taken into consideration to realize various finger postures. In addition, four different grasp styles, which simulate the individual-specific contact pattern between the surfaces of object and finger, are modeled and applied for the formulation of numerical models. An idea on how to change flexion/extension patterns in the middle of excursion of movement is proposed and discussed. Series of numerical studies have been conducted and analyzed to evaluate the proposed models. From the results, one can see the models’ feasibility and viability as a solution to describing finger’s flexion/extension movements (FEMs) for grasping patterns.