Force Control on Fingertip Using EMS to Maintain Light Touch

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2021 Nov:2021:4641-4644. doi: 10.1109/EMBC46164.2021.9630237.

Abstract

Light touch on a rigid surface with minimal force below a specific threshold reduces postural sway by providing additional sensory cues from the fingertips. The feasibility of maintaining light touch depends on subject characteristics and task difficulty. Therefore, we introduce a method of maintaining light touch by using electrical muscle stimulation (EMS). We applied it in a single-leg standing task involving healthy adult subjects. The subjects stood upright in a single-leg stance on a firm surface and on foam rubber (FR), respectively, under three conditions: no touch (NT, NT-FR), light touch without EMS (LT, LT-FR), and light touch in which EMS was applied based on the contact force (LT-EMS, LT-EMS-FR). The results showed that the force control by EMS helped maintain light touch and reduce postural sway compared with the no-touch condition. The amplitude of postural sway under the touch condition with EMS was equivalent to that under the touch condition without EMS.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cues
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Fingers*
  • Humans
  • Muscles
  • Postural Balance*