Personal and environmental factors underlying locomotor navigation

当我们四处走动时，我们必须控制不同方向的许多部分。与此同时，我们必须面对不同的环境因素，这些因素会对我们的身体和精神提出挑战。该研究项目致力于了解步行过程中人类导航控制的组织，多功能性和局限性。这里获得的基本知识在与人工运动相关的各个领域具有深远的应用（例如，机器人技术）、生物工程（肌肉骨骼增强）、空间增强（建筑和地理信息学）和康复。本提案将集中于研究a）协调下肢同时在不同方向上推进和平衡的方法和B）在不同导航情况期间视觉和内耳（前庭）信息的相互作用。这些因素将在真实的生活环境中进行研究，这些环境既有物理（障碍）的限制，也有认知（注意力资源的竞争）的限制。除了研究健康的成年人群外，还将研究有视力问题的人和早产的青春期前儿童（与足月出生的儿童相比）。所有项目都将研究身体运动的三维测量及其各部分的协调。视觉因素将从头部稳定性推断，以及直接从眼球运动测量。前庭系统的贡献将通过扰动信息流从这个系统通过低电流电刺激进行研究。总的来说，这项研究计划结合了探索步行控制背后的机械和感官因素的技术，以更好地了解我们如何在环境中导航。

As we walk around, we must control many segments in different directions. At the same time, we must different environmental factors that can challenge us both physically and mentally. This research program is dedicated to understanding the organisation, versatility and limitations of the control of human navigation during walking. The basic knowledge gained here has far reaching applications across areas related to artificial locomotion (e.g., robotics), bioengineering (musculo-skeletal enhancement), spatial enhancement (architecture and geomatics) and rehabilitation. The present proposal will concentrate on the study of a) the means of coordinating the lower limbs for propulsion and equilibrium in different directions simultaneously and b) the interaction of visual and inner ear (vestibular) information during different situations of navigation. These factors will be studied within environmental contexts found in real life situations imposing both physical (obstructions) and cognitive (competition of attentional resources) constraints. In addition to studying healthy adult populations, persons with visual problems and pre-adolescent children born pre-term (as compared to those born at term) will be studied. Three-dimensional measurements of body movement and the coordination of its segments will be investigated in all projects. Visual factors will be inferred from head stabilization as well as measured directly from eye movements. Contributions from the vestibular system will be studied by perturbing information flowing from this system through low-current electrical stimulation. Overall, this research program combines techniques probing both mechanical and sensory factors underlying walking control in order to better understand how we navigate our environments.