Review
Force control in object manipulation—A model for the study of sensorimotor control strategies

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.06.003Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Force control in object manipulation is a model to study sensorimotor control.

  • Current concepts of internal models of predictive force control are reviewed.

  • Recent challenges to the internal model theory are discussed.

Abstract

The control of prehensile finger forces when grasping and lifting an object is a well-established model to study sensorimotor and cognitive control processes of the human sensorimotor system. The simple task of grasping and lifting objects in the environment is orchestrated by a complex interplay between multiple sensorimotor systems to signal, analyze and process the mechanical interactions and constraints between body and object. These processes involve internal action plans, integration of visual, haptic and other sensory information about both body and object, sensorimotor predictions, as well as fast reactive adaptations based on experienced sensory events at various levels of complexity. This review briefly summarizes predictive and reactive control strategies of grip and lift force control, current concepts of internal models for predictive force control and recent controversies of the internal model theory in object manipulation.

Section snippets

Force control in object manipulation – a model for the study of sensorimotor control strategies

The control of prehensile finger forces – referred to as grip forces and lift forces – when grasping and lifting an object is a well-established model to study sensorimotor and cognitive control processes of the human sensorimotor system (Flanagan et al., 2006, Wolpert and Flanagan, 2001). The simple task of grasping and lifting objects in the environment is orchestrated by a complex interplay between multiple sensorimotor systems to signal, analyze and process the mechanical interactions and

Predictive force control and trial-by-trial adaptation in the grip-lift task

Object manipulation tasks involve different phases of motor action in which objects are grasped, lifted/transported, make contact with other objects and are released. For the simple task of grasping and lifting an object, contact making between the fingertips and object surface, initiation of the lifting movement and termination of the lifting movement are all discrete and distinct sensory events. Each of these sensory events provides specific afferent (feedback) information related to the

Memories for predictive force scaling

In the early 1990s Gordon and co-workers demonstrated that adults store information related to object weight when grasping and lifting objects with one hand, and are able to use this information to scale both grip and lift forces during subsequent lifts with the opposite hand (Gordon et al., 1994). This effect is independent of hand sequence, e.g. weight-related information was equally transferred from the left to the right hemisphere and vice versa. Despite the fact that there was some loss of

Internal models

Prediction is an essential characteristic of the human motor system because of the time delays inherent in the sensorimotor system of the human body. The delay mainly results from conduction of the afferent signal, signal processing in the nervous system and transmission of the output to the muscles. In case of spinal mono-synaptic reflexes of arm muscles the delay is 20 ms (biceps brachii) (Hammond, 1954). If cortical or subcortical structures are involved the delay lengthens with longer

What is memorized: physical object properties or central sense of effort?

According to the internal model theory the human sensorimotor system establishes and maintains internal representations, e.g. internal models, of the dynamics of the own body and environmental objects. As detailed above grasping and lifting an environmental object in a precision grip necessitates sufficient scaling and timing of grip force according to the lift force exerted by the object to prevent slip (see Fig. 2). A memory of appropriate force scaling related to the mechanical object

The internal model theory revisited

There is recent evidence that the predictive programming in the grip-lift task operates independently for grip and lift force (Cole et al., 2008, Chang et al., 2008, Parikh and Cole, 2011, Quaney et al., 2003, Nowak et al., 2004a, Nowak et al., 2004b, Rabe et al., 2009). The object-specific force scaling based on central representations of both object and body dynamics (internal models) is obvious when grasping and lifting known objects (Gordon et al., 1993). Object identification due to visual

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