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健康的年轻人和老年人参与者以及因中风和关节炎等老年人疾病而导致平衡和流动性受损的志愿者在坐、站和行走时的姿势和平衡进行行为研究。该实验室目前配备了最先进的测力板，惯性跟踪系统，平衡扰动系统，微型机器人（提供轻微的触摸提示的手），肌肉记录和安全带系统，但不足的6摄像头120赫兹运动跟踪系统，这是不再由制造商支持。建议用一个新的12个摄像机、240赫兹、时空精度高的系统来取代和升级旧的摄像机系统。此外，将获得提供逼真的深度视觉图像的高分辨率显示系统。九项研究与新设备提出涉及一个多学科的研究小组的研究人员从学校的心理学，电子工程，生物科学，健康科学和达德利集团医院国民保健服务信托。这些研究将利用更新后的系统提高的测量准确性和减少的标记物阻塞发生率，以（a）提供改进的测量方法和协调平衡运动的生物力学模型（B）开发影响个人平衡的视觉和触觉因素的新帐户（c）在舞蹈，合奏音乐表演和对话互动中的个人计时之间的平衡。因此，该设备将提供新的方法，并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，而老龄化和疾病中姿势和平衡的恶化严重限制了获得和流动。在提高对这一主题的理解，拟议的工作预计将有助于一般健康和财富，以及支持多学科合作，导致国际竞争力的研究。这些设备还将有助于研究生一级的高级培训。

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.