KINARM robotic device for studies of human movement control

尽管科学家和工程师们已经发明了可以与国际象棋大师相媲美的象棋程序，但他们还没有设计出一种机器人，可以像5岁孩子一样灵巧地操纵棋子。为什么人类如此擅长操纵物体，为什么现在的机器人如此糟糕？为了回答这些问题，我们实验室的研究重点是理解人类物体操纵的感觉、运动和认知过程。我们希望通过研究健康个体的灵巧物体操作所获得的见解可以用于一系列应用领域，包括人机界面设计，远程操作员控制，机器人机械手设计以及经常损害操作技能的神经功能缺陷患者的康复治疗。

Although scientists and engineers have invented chess programs that can rival grand-masters, they have yet to design a robot that can manipulate chess pieces with the dexterity of a 5-year old child. Why are humans so good at manipulating objects and why are current robots so bad? To answer these questions, research in our lab focuses on understanding the sensory, motor, and cognitive processes underlying object manipulation in humans. Our hope is that the insights gained by studying dexterous object manipulation in healthy individuals can be used in a range of applied areas including human-machine interface design, teleoperator control, robotic manipulator design, and rehabilitation therapy in patients with neurological deficit that often impair manipulatory skill.