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。同时，我们必须不同的环境因素对我们的身体和精神都构成挑战。这项研究计划致力于了解人类行走过程中导航控制的组织、多功能性和局限性。在这里获得的基本知识在与人工运动(例如机器人)、生物工程(肌肉骨骼增强)、空间增强(建筑学和地球测量学)和康复相关的领域具有广泛的应用。本提议将集中研究a)协调双腿同时向不同方向推进和平衡的方法，以及b)在不同航行情况下视觉和内耳(前庭)信息的相互作用。这些因素将在现实生活情景中的环境背景下进行研究，对身体(障碍)和认知(注意力资源的竞争)都施加限制。除了研究健康的成人人群外，还将研究视力有问题的人和早产的青春期前儿童(与足月出生的儿童相比)。将在所有项目中调查身体运动的三维测量及其各部分的协调。视觉因素将通过头部稳定来推断，也可以直接从眼球运动中测量出来。前庭系统的贡献将通过小电流电刺激干扰来自该系统的信息流来研究。总体而言，这个研究项目结合了探索步行控制背后的机械和感觉因素的技术，以更好地了解我们是如何在环境中导航的。

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.