A biomechanical investigation of the efficiency hypothesis of hafted tool technology

Coe, Dominic, Barham, Larry ORCID: 0000-0002-5474-4668, Gardiner, James ORCID: 0000-0003-1902-3416 and Crompton, Robin (2022) A biomechanical investigation of the efficiency hypothesis of hafted tool technology. JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE, 19 (188). 20210660-.

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Abstract

The transition from hand-held to hafted tool technology marked a significant shift in conceptualizing the construction and function of tools. Among other benefits, hafting is thought to have given users a significant biomechanical and physiological advantage in undertaking basic subsistence tasks compared with hand-held tools. It is assumed that addition of a handle improved the (bio)mechanical properties of a tool and upper limb by offering greater amounts of leverage, force and precision. This controlled laboratory study compares upper limb kinematics, electromyography and physiological performance during two subsistence tasks (chopping, scraping) using hafted and hand-held tools. Results show that hafted tool use elicits greater ranges of motion, greater muscle activity and greater net energy expenditure (EE) compared with hand-held equivalents. Importantly, however, these strategies resulted in reduced relative EE compared with the hand-held condition in both tasks. More specifically, the hafted axe prompted use of two well-known biomechanical strategies that help produce larger velocities at the distal end of the limb without requiring heavy muscular effort, thus improving the tool's functional efficiency and relative energy use. The energetic and biomechanical benefits of hafting arguably contributed to both the invention and spread of this technology.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	hafting, biomechanics, palaeolithic, chopping, scraping, energetics
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	11 Aug 2022 07:56
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 21:10
DOI:	10.1098/rsif.2021.0660
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3150944