Control abilities of power and precision grasping in children of different ages

Abstract

The aim of our study was to assess the grip force control under visual feedback in children of three age groups. We designed a tracking-based assessment system. The grip measuring device developed was used as an input to a tracking task where the children applied the grip force according to the visual feedback from the computer screen. The evaluation was performed in a group of healthy 6, 9, and 14- year old children. In our investigation we used three different target signals: randomized ramp, sinus, and rectangular signals. The children performed the tasks using the lateral grip precision and cylindrical power grip of their dominant hand. The results show that the relative root mean square error (rrmse) between the target and the measured response was noticeably decreased with increased age. The results showed no significant differences in performance between the precision and power grip.