Congratulations to Benoit Delhaye, Félicien Schiltz, Frédéric Crevecoeur, Jean-Louis Thonnard and Philippe Lefèvre for their recent publication in Science Advances.
Abstract:
During object manipulation, humans adjust the grip force to friction, such that slippery objects are squeezed more firmly than sticky ones. This essential mechanism to keep a stable grasp relies on feedback from tactile afferents innervating the fingertips, that are sensitive to local skin strains. This paper demonstrates that this feedback originates from skin-object interface and strain patterns before lift-off of objects. This allows the nervous system to quickly adjust the contact forces to the frictional properties of manipulated objects.
[Publication associated to the GRIP project supported by Belspo]
Link to the original manuscript: Science Advances 10, eadh9344 (2024)