Feedback mechanisms for human postural compensation

Abstract

The thesis describes an experimental study performed using simple engineering techniques, to investigate the ability of the human operator to achieve postural compensation for gross body movements when performing a manual task. These investigations were also used as the basis of a structural model which can be quantified by the evaluation of the frequency responses of its component elements. 

As with most non-invasive biological tests the difficulties were to measure suitable variables and to isolate the various elements in the system. A number of experiments are described in which vision, proprioception and vestibular sensation are variously disabled when arm posture is controlled in the presence of vertical whole-body vibrations. The results are subjective since no model can be conclusively verified. However physiological measurement of relevent EMG activity in the deltoid muscle shows that compensation is an active neurological response under all the test conditions. Furthermore, assumption of superposition of the sensory information appears justified given the variability of the experiments conducted. 

While much experimental refinement is necessary to identify the control parameters numerically, the model does seem to agree with the conceptual form which has been developed for the control of a mechanical arm with a fully-flexured tactile hand-manipulator. Adaptation within this model consists merely of the selection of appropriate feedback channels using simple criteria based on sensory data.

More information

Identifiers

Catalogue record

Export record

ASCII CitationAtomBibTeXData Cite XMLDublin CoreDublin CoreEP3 XMLEndNoteHTML CitationHTML CitationHTML ListJSONMETSMODSMPEG-21 DIDLOpenURL ContextObjectOpenURL ContextObject in SpanRDF+N-TriplesRDF+N3RDF+XMLRIOXX2 XMLReferReference ManagerSimple Metadata