Vision touch and balance

伯明翰大学行为脑科学中心的姿势和平衡实验室对坐、站和走路时的姿势和平衡进行行为研究，研究对象包括健康的年轻人和老年人，以及因中风和关节炎等老年人疾病而导致平衡和行动能力受损的志愿者。该实验室目前配备了最先进的测力板、惯性跟踪系统、平衡摄动系统、微型机器人(向手提供光触摸提示)、肌肉记录和安全安全带系统，但制造商不再支持不合格的6摄像头120赫兹运动跟踪系统。提议用能够高时空精度的新的12摄像机240赫兹系统取代和升级旧的摄像机系统。此外，还将获得一个高分辨率显示系统，提供逼真的深度视觉图像。使用新设备的九项研究计划涉及来自心理学院、电子工程学院、生物科学学院、健康科学学院和达德利医院集团NHS信托基金的多学科研究人员。这些研究将利用改进的测量精度和更新的系统减少标记遮挡的发生率，以(A)提供改进的测量方法和协调运动的生物力学模型以实现平衡(B)开发影响个人平衡的视觉和触摸因素的新帐户(C)在个人舞蹈、合奏音乐表演和对话互动之间的特征。因此，该设备将提供新的方法，有可能获得新的发现，从而促进我们对姿势和平衡的理解。了解这类行为很重要，因为它是人与环境之间有效互动的基础，而在老龄化和疾病中姿势和平衡的恶化严重限制了获取和行动能力。在增进对这一专题的理解方面，预计拟议的工作将有助于促进一般健康和财富，并支持多学科合作，从而产生具有国际竞争力的研究。这些设备还将有助于研究生水平的高级培训。

The Posture and Balance lab in the Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre at the University of Birmingham conducts behavioural studies of posture and balance during sitting, standing and walking by healthy young and elderly participants and in volunteers with impaired balance and mobility due to diseases of the elderly including stroke and arthritis. The lab is currently equipped with state-of-art force plates, inertial tracking system, balance perturbation system, miniature robots (affording light touch cues to the hand), muscle recording and safety harness system but an inadequate 6 camera 120 Hz motion tracking system which is no longer supported by the manufacturer. The proposal is to replace and upgrade the old camera system with a new 12 camera 240 Hz system capable of high spatiotemporal accuracy. In addition a high resolution display system providing lifelike in-depth visual images will be acquired. Nine studies with the new equipment are proposed involving a multidisciplinary group of researchers from the Schools of Psychology, Electronic Engineering, Biosciences, Health Sciences and the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust. These studies will take advantage of the improved accuracy of measurement and reduced incidence of marker occlusion from the updated system to (a) provide improved measurement methods and biomechanical models of coordinated movement for balance (b) develop novel accounts of visual and touch factors affecting individual balance (c) characterise between individual timing in dance, ensemble musical performance and conversational interaction. Thus the equipment will afford new methods with the potential for novel findings that will advance our understanding of posture and balance. Understanding this class of behaviours is important as it underlies effective interaction between people and their environment and the deterioration of posture and balance in aging and disease represent serious limitations on access and mobility. In improving understanding of this topic the proposed work is expected to contribute to general health and wealth as well as underpin multidisciplinary collaboration leading to internationally competitive research. The equipment will also contribute to advanced training at graduate level.