Getting a grip on grasping

PhD ceremony: Mr. C. van de Kamp, 16.15 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Title : Getting a grip on grasping

Promotor(s): prof. E. Otten

Faculty: Medical Sciences

 

We do not often realise the complexity of everyday movements. The thesis “Getting a grip on grasping” describes a number of experiments to increase our understanding of how movements are controlled in catching and grasping. The movements of trial participants were observed during a situation in which the size and location of objects could change to study the controlling variables, visual information, and the control law in catching and grasping. An interesting finding is that the timing of movements during catching and grasping can be described with the same model. According to the researchers, there is possibly a generic model for understanding the control of hand-closure initiation in both catching and grasping.