Adaptation of a reaching model to handwriting: How different effectors can produce the same written output, and other results

Abstract

This report shows how a model initially developed for the control of reaching can be adapted for the control of handwriting. The main problem addressed by the model is how people can produce essentially the same written output with different effectors (e.g., the preferred or nonpreferred hand, the foot, or even the mouth). The model is based on the assumption that writers strive for invariant graphic outputs when they write with different effectors, when they write on surfaces with different orientations, or when they write large or small script; such output invariance is an essential requirement for later recognition of the written result. Given this assumption, the question is how the motor system enables the relevant effectors to generate the necessary pen strokes. The adapted model provides one possible answer to this question. It is the first fully working model of multijoint activity underlying writing and related graphic tasks. We describe how the model differs from other models developed in the past, and we review the model's strengths and weaknesses.