Grip force regulates hand impedance to optimize object stability in high impact loads

Anticipatory grip force adjustments are a prime example of the predictive nature of motor control. An object held in precision grip is stabilized by fine adjustments of the grip force against changes in tangential load force arising from inertia during acceleration and deceleration. When an object is subject to sudden impact loads, prediction becomes critical as the time available for sensory feedback is very short. Here, we investigated the control of grip force when participants performed a targeted tapping task with a hand-held object. During the initial transport phase of the movement, load force varied smoothly with acceleration. In contrast, in the collision, load forces sharply incre…