A robot arm for research in human sensorimotor control

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When we reach out to pick up an object, we do not typically think about how heavy it is.  Despite this lack of conscious forethought, evidence shows that humans are remarkably good at anticipating the heaviness of the object and typically use appropriate forces to grasp and lift the object.  It is thought that this ability depends on prior knowledge about the typical density of the objects in our world.  When the density of the object is unexpectedly high or low, perceptual illusions like the size-weight illusion can emerge.  In this illusion, people judge objects with low density as lighter than they really are, and objects of high density as heavier than they really are.  Although this illusion persists over many lifting attempts, participants quickly learn to use the appropriate amount of force for the object's true mass.  The purpose of the equipment purchased here is to explore the factors that contribute the perceptual size-weight illusion, and that allow for fast, accurate sensorimotor learning.