Haptic feedback helps bipedal coordination

• Published in: Experimental brain research Vol. 234; no. 10; pp. 2869 - 2881
• Main Authors: Roelofsen, Eefje G. J., Bosga, Jurjen, Rosenbaum, David A., Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W. G., Hullegie, Wim, van Cingel, Robert, Meulenbroek, Ruud G. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2016; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain research; Cognition & reasoning; Feedback; Feedback, Sensory - physiology; Feet; Female; Foot - physiology; Hands; Haptics; Humans; Hypotheses; Male; Medical research; Movement - physiology; Neurology; Neurosciences; Psychomotor performance; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Research Article; Sensorimotor integration; Touch; Visual Perception - physiology; Young Adult; Netherlands; Bipedal; Coordination; Visual feedback; Cognition; Haptic tracking; Active-assisted motion; Passive movement; Physical therapy
• ISSN: 0014-4819; 1432-1106
• DOI: 10.1007/s00221-016-4689-2

The present study investigated whether special haptic or visual feedback would facilitate the coordination of in-phase, cyclical feet movements of different amplitudes. Seventeen healthy participants sat with their feet on sliding panels that were moved externally over the same or different amplitudes. The participants were asked to generate simultaneous knee flexion–extension movements, or to let their feet be dragged, resulting in reference foot displacements of 150 mm and experimental foot displacements of 150, 120, or 90 mm. Four types of feedback were given: (1) special haptic feedback, involving actively following the motions of the sliders manipulated by two confederates, (2) haptic feedback resulting from passive motion, (3) veridical visual feedback, and (4) enhanced visual feedback. Both with respect to amplitude assimilation effects, correlations and standard deviation of relative phase, the results showed that enhanced visual feedback did not facilitate bipedal independence, but haptic feedback with active movement did. Implications of the findings for movement rehabilitation contexts are discussed.