Role of the inertia tensor in haptically perceiving where an object is grasped

J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 1994 Apr;20(2):276-85. doi: 10.1037//0096-1523.20.2.276.

Abstract

When an object is held and wielded, a time-invariant quantity of the wielding dynamics is the inertia tensor Iij. Examination of Iij as a function of different locations at which a cylindrical object is grasped revealed that the off-diagonal components of Iij--the products of inertia--related most systematically to grip position. In 3 experiments, Ss wielded an occluded rod held at an intermediate point along its length and reproduced, with the other hand, the felt grip position on a visible rod. In Experiment 1, the wielded rods were homogeneous; in Experiments 2 and 3, weights were added on either side of the grasp, with different manners of grasp contrasted in Experiment 3. In all 3 experiments, perceived hand position was predicted by Iij. Discussion was focused on the role of Iij's eigenvalues in perceiving the magnitudes of objects and Iij's eigenvectors in perceiving hand-object relations (e.g., position of grasp).

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motor Activity / physiology
  • Orientation / physiology*
  • Proprioception / physiology*
  • Psychophysiology
  • Stereognosis / physiology*
  • Weight Perception / physiology*
  • Weight-Bearing / physiology