Experimental evaluation of the flexion and extension movement characteristics of toes in a position operation task and a comparison with fingers

Abstract Toes are expected to perform various tasks by bending and stretching movements. However, to our knowledge, few studies have examined toe movement for operation. In particular, the characteristics of toe movements when used for operation have not been clarified. To investigate these characteristics, we proposed a new experimental evaluation system using wire displacement sensors. In this system, operators can move a marker shown on a PC screen by toe flexion and extension movements. In the experiment, 16 different operation patterns were considered, and the time required to finish the operation with one or two toes was measured and evaluated based on the average operation time. A comparison between toe flexors and extensors in operation time indicated that toe movements with a large angle were easier than those with a small angle if only one toe was used, but became more difficult if two toes were used. These results suggest that the ease or difficulty of toe movements differed depending on whether one or two toes are used. These results were then compared with those of additional evaluation experiments we conducted using fingers. The results indicated that toe operation requires 3.51 times more time than finger operation if two toes or fingers are used.