Additional Modules for PAMELA to Enhance Research Efficiency (AMPERE)

安培为帕梅拉工厂增加了15个正方形(即可在单个平面内配置)和11个三角形(可在两个平面内配置)额外的有源模块。它们与原始的电动模块完全相同，并具有两个主要优点：(1)它们将主要调整和重新配置所需的时间从几个小时减少到几分钟，从而增加了研究的可用性；(2)它们允许将更全面的实验设置整合到一个布局中。增加的模块需要更新现有的控制软件、新的电缆和电源/控制分配装置，以确保整个平台可以使用与原始模块相同的系统和接口进行控制。四个方形模块(可配置在一个平面上)将分别安装4个力板，以便将接地阻力合并到设施中。Pamela是一个非常复杂的跨学科设施，而安培的增强增加了该设施对其他研究人员的吸引力。首先，眼科研究所(IOO)已经在基因治疗中证明了增加Pamela对所有感兴趣领域的研究人员的可获得性的重要性，Pamela的受控条件和监测能力意味着，与没有受控的行人环境相比，研究结果得到的速度和深度都要深得多-Pamela允许以客观、可量化和可重复的方式在测试前后进行测试，而以前的方法只包括眼睛测试和主观采访，以揭示干预的效果。此外，时间尺度(2006年10月的干预前测试，2007年春季的干预治疗，2008年2月的干预后测试，2008年初发表在《新英格兰医学杂志》上的结果)显示，从实验室到发表的时间明显缩短，更重要的是，有可能更快地将基础研究的结果交付给那些最终受益的人-在这种情况下，视力低下的人。第二，新的模块使Pamela能够整合更复杂的布局，从而减少了为适应不同功能而拆分实验的需要。这使参与者和研究人员更容易进行实验，因为他们需要更少的访问设施，因为他们的实验可以更快地进行。这有助于增加所有研究人员对设施的可用性，并增加布局的复杂性。第三，带有力盘的模块的引入意味着第一次可以测量复杂环境中的地面阻力，例如纵向和横向斜坡和台阶，这样就可以将轮椅推进的生物力学(特别是助手)、老年人的平衡、对灵活性的理解等问题纳入到行人与环境互动的研究中。Ampere将使可用容量增加50%以上，从而确保可用性的缺乏不会阻碍IOO工作所证明的设施可以支持的主要研究进展。AMPERE还包括AccessGrid节点设施。这将使研究人员在设计和运行实验时能够与来自世界各地的设施进行交流，并将使设施的传播变得更加容易和全面。

AMPERE adds 15 square (i.e. configurable in a single plane) and 11 triangle (configurable in two planes) additional active modules to the PAMELA facility. These are exactly the same as the original motorised modules and have two major benefits: (1) they reduce the time taken for major adjustments and reconficurations from several hours to a few minutes resulting in an increase in availability for research and (2) they allow more comprehensive experimental setups to be incorporated in a single layout. The additional modules require updates to the existing control software, new cables and power/control distribution units in order to ensure that the whole platform can be controlled using the same system and interface as used for the original modules. Four of the square modules (configurable in a single plane) will be fitted with 4 force plates each so that ground resistance forces can be incorporated in the facility. PAMELA is a very complex interdisciplinary facility and the AMPERE enhancements increase the desirability of the facility to other researchers. First, the importance of increasing the availability of PAMELA for researchers in all fields of interest has already been demonstrated in gene therapy by the Institute of Ophthalmology (IoO), where the controlled conditions and monitoring capability of PAMELA have meant that research results have been reached much more quickly and at a much deeper level than would have been possible without a controlled pedestrian environment - PAMELA has allowed before and after testing in an objective, quantifiable and repeatable way whereas the previous methods would have involved just eye tests and subjective interviews to reveal the effects of the intervention. In addition the timescale (pre-Intervention testing in October 2006, Intervention Therapy in spring 2007, post-Intervention testing in February 2008, publication of results in the New England Journal of Medicine in early 2008) shows a clear reduction of time from laboratrory to publication and, more importantly, the potential for faster delievery of the outcomes of basic research to those people who will ultimately benefit - in this case, people with low vision.Secondly, the new modules enable PAMELA to incorporate more complex layouts, thus reducing the need to split experiments to accommodate different features. This makes it much easier for the participants as they need to make fewer visits to the facility and for the researchers because their experiments can be carried out much more quickly. This helps to increase the availability of the facility for all researchers as well as increasing the sophistication of the layouts.Thirdly, the introduction of modules with force plates means that for the first time it will be possible to measure ground resistance forces in complex environments such as longitudinal and lateral slopes and steps so that issues such as the biomechanics of wheelchair propulsion (especially by assistants), balance of older people, understanding of agility and so on can be included in research into pedestrian interactions with the environment.The demand for access to PAMELA is such that it is becoming difficult to fit all requests into a suitable timescale. AMPERE will make a significant difference to the available capacity by increasing it by more than 50% and thus ensure that lack of availability does not hold up the major research advances that can be supported by the facility as demonstrated by the IoO work.AMPERE also includes an AccessGrid node facility. This will enable researchers to communicate with the facility from all over the world when designing and running experiments and will make dissemination from the facility much easier and more comprehensive.