Anticipatory Grasp

Anticipatory grasp refers to the pre-shaping of the hand before contact with an object, based on expectations about the object's size, shape, and orientation. In sighted people this planning is driven primarily by visual input during the reach phase and produces smooth, single-attempt grasps. People with visual impairments often lack the sensory information needed to pre-shape, and instead rely on a reactive 'double grip' pattern of initial contact followed by compensatory regrasp. Assistive haptic and electrotactile systems increasingly aim to restore anticipatory grasp by delivering spatial object information to the hand before contact.