Beyond sight: environmental interaction with the hands or feet?

Abstract

How humans perceive the texture of a surface can inform and guide how their interaction takes place. From grasping a glass to walking on icy steps, the information we gather from the surfaces we interact with is instrumental to the success of our movements. However, the hands and feet differ in their ability to explore and identify textures. Higher concentrations of mechanoreceptors in the fingertips provide tactile information to help modulate force and grip whereas the receptors of the feet help to inform surface texture and aid in balance. Cleland et al. (J Neurophysiol 132: 643–652, 2024), explores the relationship between texture perception, mode of exploration, and region of body used to explore said texture (hands vs. feet). This research is especially important in the context of understanding how texture perception affects stability, how hands and feet differ in their management and execution of tasks, and how this is adjusted in special populations of visually impaired individuals.