Table of Contents

1: Historical Overview and General Introduction
2: Evolutionary Development and Anatomy of the Hand
3: Sensory Neurophysiology
4: Tactile Sensing
5: Active Haptic Sensing
6: Prehension
7: Non-prehensile Skilled Movements
8: End-effector Constraints
9: Hand Function across the Lifespan
10: Applications
11: Summary, Conclusions, and Future Directions
References
Index

About the Author

Lynette Jones is a Principal Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her research focuses on a number of areas related to human haptic perception and motor performance. Much of this work is conducted in the context of the design of haptic interfaces that human operators use to interact with computer-generated virtual environments or to control
robotic devices. It entails basic research on the human proprioceptive and tactile sensory systems that examines how various feedback systems contribute to perception. Jones' applied research on haptic interfaces involves
the development of wearable tactile displays that can be used as navigation aids.

Susan Lederman is Professor of Psychology, with cross-appointments in the Center for Neuroscience and the School of Computing at Queens University in Ontario, Canada. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and holds a Queens University Research Chair. Her research contributions span a wide range of topics pertaining to sensory, perceptual, cognitive, and sensory-guided motor processing. Her particular interests include tactile psychophysics, haptic and multisensory
processing of objects, their properties and spatial locations, and in addition, the sensory-guided control of grasping and manipulation. Lederman has also applied the results of her scientific research to a variety of
real-world problems, including the design of haptic and multisensory interfaces for virtual environments and teleoperation.

Reviews

"...a work of impressive scholarship that combines the breadth of coverage normally found only in edited collections, with the conceptual integration and uniformity of style that characterize the best single-authored works...Human Hand Function deserves to be read and reread by anyone with a serious interest in the hand's sensory and motor functions and the cognitive processes that control them."--Mark Hollins, The University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
"...a very well written and extensive compilation of a diverse literature on the hand as a perceptual organ."--Robert H. LaMotte, Yale University School of Medicine
"...a comprehensive, thorough, and cohesive work by two noted authorities on haptic perception and control...while the scope is broad, the coverage is at the same time deep. The citations, which I didn't try to count, must run to well over 1000 in number-themselves worth the price of admission."--Lawrence E. Marks, John B. Pierce Laboratory
"In Human Hand Function, Jones and Lederman have produced a work of impressive scholarship that combines the breadth of coverage normally found only in edited collections, with the conceptual integration and uniformity of style that characterize the best single-authored works. It is deeply informed and authoritative, yet clear and engaging, and does not require technical knowledge on the part of the reader. The organizational framework is logical and
satisfying. Human Hand Function deserves to be read and reread by anyone with a serious interest in the hands sensory and motor functions and the cognitive processes that control them." --Mark Hollins,
Professor of Psychology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"This is a very well written and extensive compilation of a diverse literature on the hand as a perceptual organ. It is not so much a critical evaluation or novel synthesis of scientific findings but rather a unique description, listing and bringing together of the literature--from tactile sensing and sensory neurophysiology to haptic processing, interfaces, and methods of evaluating hand function. In this regard it succeeds admirably and provides a valuable
resource for both the novice and the specialist. Each will find a great deal that they will not have realized existed and gain insight into what remains to be discovered." --Robert H. LaMotte, Professor
of Anesthesiology and Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine
"At last, a book devoted to the functions of that marvelous instrument of evolution, the human hand! Human Hand Function is a comprehensive, thorough, and cohesive work by two noted authorities on haptic perception and control. The authors consider the functions of the human hand broadly, from multiple perspectives, including tactile and haptic perception, sensory physiology, motor function, cognitive control, and robotics. And while the scope is
broad, the coverage is at the same time deep. The citations, which I didnt try to count, must run to well over 1000 in number--themselves worth the price of admission. Novices and professionals alike will find much
to learn here. No doubt my copy will quickly show the signs of wear from repeatedly consulting it." --Lawrence E. Marks, Director of the John B. Pierce Laboratory and Professor of Epidemiology and Psychology, Yale University
"...a work of impressive scholarship that combines the breadth of coverage normally found only in edited collections, with the conceptual integration and uniformity of style that characterize the best single-authored works...Human Hand Function deserves to be read and reread by anyone with a serious interest in the hand's sensory and motor functions and the cognitive processes that control them."--Mark Hollins, The University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
"...a very well written and extensive compilation of a diverse literature on the hand as a perceptual organ."--Robert H. LaMotte, Yale University School of Medicine
"...a comprehensive, thorough, and cohesive work by two noted authorities on haptic perception and control...while the scope is broad, the coverage is at the same time deep. The citations, which I didn't try to count, must run to well over 1000 in number-themselves worth the price of admission."--Lawrence E. Marks, John B. Pierce Laboratory
"In Human Hand Function, Jones and Lederman have produced a work of impressive scholarship that combines the breadth of coverage normally found only in edited collections, with the conceptual integration and uniformity of style that characterize the best single-authored works. It is deeply informed and authoritative, yet clear and engaging, and does not require technical knowledge on the part of the reader. The organizational framework is logical and
satisfying. Human Hand Function deserves to be read and reread by anyone with a serious interest in the hands sensory and motor functions and the cognitive processes that control them." --Mark Hollins,
Professor of Psychology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"This is a very well written and extensive compilation of a diverse literature on the hand as a perceptual organ. It is not so much a critical evaluation or novel synthesis of scientific findings but rather a unique description, listing and bringing together of the literature--from tactile sensing and sensory neurophysiology to haptic processing, interfaces, and methods of evaluating hand function. In this regard it succeeds admirably and provides a valuable
resource for both the novice and the specialist. Each will find a great deal that they will not have realized existed and gain insight into what remains to be discovered." --Robert H. LaMotte, Professor
of Anesthesiology and Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine
"At last, a book devoted to the functions of that marvelous instrument of evolution, the human hand! Human Hand Function is a comprehensive, thorough, and cohesive work by two noted authorities on haptic perception and control. The authors consider the functions of the human hand broadly, from multiple perspectives, including tactile and haptic perception, sensory physiology, motor function, cognitive control, and robotics. And while the scope is
broad, the coverage is at the same time deep. The citations, which I didnt try to count, must run to well over 1000 in number--themselves worth the price of admission. Novices and professionals alike will find much
to learn here. No doubt my copy will quickly show the signs of wear from repeatedly consulting it." --Lawrence E. Marks, Director of the John B. Pierce Laboratory and Professor of Epidemiology and Psychology, Yale University