A new electrical equipment for handgrip testing.

Devices available for isometric handgrip testing revealed constructional deficiences likely to give rise to inaccurate data. A new electrical device was constructed which eliminates the defects in earlier designs. The new equipment consists of a U-shaped handgrip transducer, a measuring device, and a slave monitor for the patients. The patient's maximum handgrip force is determined as a peak voltage, which is stored in analog form. Two comparators help to set the desired handgrip force during the actual testing. The slave monitor's two lamps and analog meter help the patient to apply a force which is maintained at a selected percentage of the maximum force. The device has been shown to operate well in a longitudinal study of drug treatment of hypertension.