Reversing postural control
Can humans relearn (and unlearn) how to stand when we completely reverse their control over balancing movement?
Status: Ongoing
People: Matto Leeuwis, Ben Rupprecht, Lucas Mensink, Jean-Sébastien Blouin, Chris J. Dakin, Patrick Forbes
Topics: posture,, biomechanics,, robotics
Date:
Exoskeleton and prosthesis design commonly follows a biomimetic philosophy, where the design closely matches our original biological function. The idea is that using a design that matches our biology may accelerate learning and allow better performance. Recent work suggests that biomimetic design is not necessary controlling a bionic hand, and that teaching a more arbitrary control scheme may improve generalization [1].
In this work we evaluate to what extent humans can adopt non-biomimetic control modes during standing. We use a robotic balance simulator to alter the control of normal standing, and reverse how whole-body and ankle cues change in response to the forces we generate. Understanding the limit of human adaptation may allow for broader constraints on robotic, exoskeleton, and prosthesis development.
Video
Results
The results are not posted here until data collection is complete. This is to prevent potential participants from being informed about the hypotheses of the study. If you want to participate, or want to know more, reach out directly.
References
[1] Schone, H. R., et al. (2024). “Biomimetic versus arbitrary motor control strategies for bionic hand skill learning.” Nature Human Behaviour 8(6): 1108-1123.