ヒト指腹部構造と触覚受容器位置の力学的関係 (<小特集>バイオダイナミックス)

抄録

There are several tactile receptors at specific locations in the tissue of human fingers. In this study we calculate in detail the deformation of finger tissue when a finger comes into contact with a rigid plate using a FE (finite element) model in order to clarify the reason for the precise location of the receptors. The FE model is constructed using the measured geometry and properties. As a result, we found that the strain energy is concentrated at tactile receptor locations. When a frictional force is applied, the stress/strain is concentrated near the edge of the contact area. By calculating using models with/without epidermal ridges/papillae, we found that the shape of the epidermal ridges/papillae influences the stress/strain distribution near the tactile receptors.