Learning and Control of Objects with Internal Dynamics

描述(申请人提供)：日常任务，如处理和操纵物体，可能会给中风幸存者带来困难的挑战。我们大脑控制手臂运动的方式可能会受到我们与物体相互作用的经验以及它们的机械和动力学特性的影响。我们处理的对象可以分为两大类：刚性对象，如锤子，以及具有内部动力学的对象，如一杯水。自由伸展和与刚性物体的相互作用已经得到了广泛的研究，而与具有内部动力学的物体的相互作用还没有得到充分的研究。本提案中提出的实验将侧重于了解在使用内部动力学操作对象时手臂的运动是如何控制和协调的。将使用现代控制理论的各个方面来设计和分类受试者与之相互作用的动态系统。这些实验的中心假设是，健康的受试者通过发展其动力学的内部表征来学习用内部动力学来控制物体。此外，假设形成这些系统的内部表示的能力取决于诸如其可控性和可观测性的固有对象属性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Everyday tasks, such as handling and manipulating objects, may pose difficult challenges for survivors of stroke. The way in which our brain controls arm movements is likely to be shaped by our experience of interactions with objects and their mechanical and dynamic properties. Objects that we handle can be divided into two broad classes: rigid objects, such as a hammer, and objects with internal dynamics, such as a cup of water. Free reaching and interactions with rigid objects have been studied extensively, while interactions with objects with internal dynamics have not been adequately explored. Experiments presented in this proposal will focus on understanding how movements of the arm are controlled and coordinated when manipulating objects with internal dynamics. Aspects from modern control theory will be used to design and classify dynamic systems with which subjects interact. The experiments presented are centered on the hypothesis that healthy subjects learn to control objects with internal dynamics by developing an internal representation of their dynamics. Further, it is hypothesized that the ability to form an internal representation of these systems is contingent upon intrinsic object properties such as its controllability and observability.