Published

finger

vr.tr.finger · thing-q620207

Enable an AI agent to identify an individual finger, record its observable condition and functional capabilities, and determine which interactions are appropriate under known constraints.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.OBJ

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Classifiers What it is Why it exists Distinguishing features What robots and AI may and may not do Moral aspects Owners Links to other meta-models Identity and identifiers Direct properties Recognition Capabilities and actions Hazards and failure modes Standards and interfaces Context of use Sources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

6 bundles · 11 layers · 12 findings · 24 questions

Digit identity and boundaries Establish which finger is modelled and what physical extent belongs to it.

Hand and digit location

Locate the individual digit within its associated hand.

Digit designation

Record the supported digit designation and hand association, preserving ambiguity.

Which hand is this finger associated with, and what establishes laterality? provenance
Is this the thumb, index, middle, ring, little or an additional digit, and is that designation uncertain? definition

Physical extent

Separate the individual finger from the hand, local fragments and replacements.

Attachment and part boundaries

Record attachment and remaining extent without assuming a complete or typical finger.

What landmark defines this finger's proximal boundary with the hand for this model? boundary
Which portions are present, absent, detached or replaced, and how was this established? provenance
Which adjacent or attached structures require separate linked models? boundary

Finger structure and contact surfaces Describe the finger's segments, joints and surfaces at the detail supported by evidence.

Segments and joints

Identify present segments and articulations without imposing a uniform digit template.

Observed structural layout

Record identifiable segments, joints and measurement landmarks.

Which segments and joints are established for this finger, and which are inferred or unobserved? provenance
What are the measured segment lengths or overall length, using which landmarks and posture? measurement

Tip, pad and nail

Locate the surfaces involved in touch, support and tool contact.

Local contact geometry

Describe the fingertip, pad and nail where present, including coverings that affect contact.

Which fingertip, pad, side or nail surface would contact the object in the proposed task? boundary
What local dimensions, nail projection or coverings affect that contact or fit? measurement

Movement and task contribution Describe demonstrated movement and the finger's role in specific hand actions.

Joint-specific mobility

Record movement direction, extent and assessment conditions.

Demonstrated movement

Distinguish self-generated movement from externally assisted movement and untested capability.

Which identified joints were observed moving, in which directions and through what measured range? measurement
Was the movement active, assisted or passively assessed, and what wrist posture and neighbouring-digit movement accompanied it? provenance

Functional participation

Connect digit movement and contact to an observed task.

Finger role in task

Record the finger's individual contribution without assigning it the outcome of the whole hand.

During the observed task, did this finger point, tap, oppose another digit, support an object or contribute to grasping? definition
What outcome was attributable to this finger, and what depended on other digits, the wrist or assistance? boundary
What task conditions must remain comparable before this performance can inform another interaction? action

Local condition and sensation Capture visible condition and reported experience with location and time.

Surface and shape observations

Record visible local changes without converting them into diagnoses.

Local condition observation

Locate changes in skin, nail, contour or alignment and retain observation limitations.

What changes in skin integrity, nail appearance, contour, colour or alignment are observable, and where? measurement
When and under what lighting, posture or covering conditions was the observation made, and is there a comparable earlier observation? provenance

Reported experience

Represent sensation and discomfort as reports or documented assessments.

Sensation and discomfort record

Preserve the person's account and distinguish unassessed sensation from an absence of symptoms.

What pain, numbness, tingling or altered touch is reported, at which part of the finger and under what conditions? measurement
Does this record come from the person's report or a documented assessment, and when was it obtained? provenance

Finger interaction constraints Determine what proposed contact, movement or loading is supported by available authorization and evidence.

Contact and loading

Relate a proposed physical interaction to the specific finger surface and recorded limits.

Proposed interaction envelope

Specify intended contact, movement and loading while leaving unsupported limits unknown.

Where would the proposed interaction contact the finger, and what force, pressure, movement or duration would it involve? action
Which recorded restrictions apply to that surface, joint or task, and what source establishes them? provenance

Authorization and reassessment

Connect permission and changing finger state to action decisions.

Action readiness

Record whether a proposed interaction may proceed and what unresolved information prevents a decision.

Has the person authorized this specific finger interaction, and can they communicate withdrawal or discomfort during it? action
What missing evidence or change in finger condition requires pausing the interaction or obtaining an appropriate assessment? action

Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.

Reported evidence

Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.

Kinds and varieties

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of finger this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Identifiers and schemes

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of finger this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family: Thing Registry
Category: Physical world and living systems
Entry kind: thing
Plane: PHY
Domain: PHY.OBJ
Other names and narrower kinds: female finger, human finger, middle finger, index finger, ring finger, little finger, right middle finger, left middle finger, right index finger, left index finger, right ring finger, left ring finger

What it is Filled

A finger is one of usually five articulated digits at the end of a tetrapod hand, comprising phalanges and associated joints and soft tissues, attached to but not including a metacarpal, with functions that vary by species and digit.

In scope

Finger identity, hand laterality, digit position and attachment status
Local segments, joints, fingertip, pad, skin and nail where present
Observed movement, sensation and contribution to hand tasks
Local condition, reported symptoms and changes over time
Finger-specific contact, loading and assistance constraints

Out of scope

Whole-hand coordination and overall grip performance
Arm and wrist anatomy or movement except as context for finger observations
Person-level identity, health history and clinical diagnosis
Toes and other foot structures
Artificial fingers, prosthetic components and robotic grippers as independently modelled things
Rings, gloves, tools and other objects contacting the finger

Why it exists Filled

Enable an AI agent to identify an individual finger, record its observable condition and functional capabilities, and determine which interactions are appropriate under known constraints.

Distinguishing features Filled

Establish that the digit belongs, or previously belonged, to a hand rather than a foot; appearance alone does not settle this.
Identify one digit within the hand rather than treating the palm or the entire hand as the finger.
Distinguish biological tissue from an artificial replacement, recording a prosthesis as a related component.
Distinguish the complete digit or remaining digit from a nail, fingertip fragment or other local part.
Record thumb versus non-thumb identity explicitly rather than inferring interchangeable structure or movement.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

Collect or store fingerprints without consent or lawful basis.
Operate machines where hands can be caught without guards and safe stops.
Use force on a person's fingers or joints.
Mock people with missing or different fingers.

Only with a human decision

Treating a severed or crushed finger, which needs urgent medical decision.

May

Describe finger anatomy for teaching.
Use fingerprints for identification only with consent or legal authority.
Give first aid guidance for finger injuries and urge medical care when needed.

Moral aspects Filled

Fingerprints are biometric data that identify people for life.
Hand injuries can end livelihoods.

Who is affected

Workers using machines
People whose fingerprints are collected
Patients

Owners Filled

Steward

For a human finger, the person whose body it is; for a non-human animal's finger, the responsible keeper or wildlife custodian where applicable.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

Q34583 - registry parent class
Q66516309 - registry parent class

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Sources Filled

Anatomy of the Human Body: The Hand - Classical osteology of metacarpals and phalanges; naming of the five digits.
Wikidata item Q620207: finger - identity and sense of the item
Wikipedia: Finger - general description of the item

Open questions

Does the registry intend finger to include the thumb and non-human hand digits, or should either be covered through a neighbouring model?
What proximal anatomical boundary should define a finger consistently for measurements and ownership of shared hand structures?
How should congenital variation, joined digits, partial absence and reattachment affect digit identity and model boundaries?
Which measurement and assessment protocols provide comparable evidence for finger movement, sensation and task contribution?
Which authoritative sources should establish task-specific interaction limits and reassessment criteria without treating observed capability as proof of safety?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q620207/spec.json