Atena Fadaeijo & Jemina Fasola to present at IEEE conferences
© LNCO / 2019 EPFL
PhD students Atena Fadaeijouybari and Jemina Fasola will present their work at two key IEEE conferences in robotics (IROS2019) and Engineering in Medicine and Biology (EMBC2019) respectively.
- Atena's project describes a torso-mounted haptic interface that can be used to induce bodily illusions and will be presented at IROS 2019, the annual IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.
Title Torso-mounted Vibrotactile Interface to Experimentally Induce Illusory Own-body Perceptions
Abstract Recent developments in virtual reality and robotic technologies have allowed investigating the behavioural and brain mechanisms that grounds self-consciousness in the multisensory (e.g. vision and touch) and sensorimotor processing of bodily signals. Yet, previous technological solutions to apply tactile stimuli for body illusion induction limit participants’ movements, do not allow for stimulations in dynamic environments (e.g., the subject walking), and can hardly be integrated into real-life settings and complex, interactive, virtual reality environments. Here, we present the development and first validation of a new semi-wearable haptic system, based on vibration technology, to induce a range of bodily illusions that are of relevance for research in psychiatry. This is a first step towards the development of wearable haptic systems able to administer touch and induce specific bodily illusions under dynamic conditions and in real-life settings.
AuthorsAtena Fadaeijouybari, Giulio Rognini, Masayuki Hara, Hannes Bleuler, Olaf Blanke
Presentation Date November 2019
Abstract Recent developments in virtual reality and robotic technologies have allowed investigating the behavioural and brain mechanisms that grounds self-consciousness in the multisensory (e.g. vision and touch) and sensorimotor processing of bodily signals. Yet, previous technological solutions to apply tactile stimuli for body illusion induction limit participants’ movements, do not allow for stimulations in dynamic environments (e.g., the subject walking), and can hardly be integrated into real-life settings and complex, interactive, virtual reality environments. Here, we present the development and first validation of a new semi-wearable haptic system, based on vibration technology, to induce a range of bodily illusions that are of relevance for research in psychiatry. This is a first step towards the development of wearable haptic systems able to administer touch and induce specific bodily illusions under dynamic conditions and in real-life settings.
AuthorsAtena Fadaeijouybari, Giulio Rognini, Masayuki Hara, Hannes Bleuler, Olaf Blanke
Presentation Date November 2019
- Jemina will present her work on error augmentation and visuomotor adaptation in a full-body balance task at EMBC 2019, the 41st International Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference.
Title Error Augmentation Improves Visuomotor Adaptation during a Full-Body Balance Task
Abstract Visual amplification of kinematic errors has successfully been applied to improve performance for upper limb movements. In this study, we investigated whether visual error augmentation can promote faster adaptation during a full-body balance task. Healthy volunteers controlled a cursor by shifting their weight on the THERA-Trainer coro platform. Two experimental groups and one control group were asked to reach visual targets. For the two experimental groups, the cursor’s deviation from the ideal straight line trajectory was augmented by a gain of 1.5 and 2, respectively, while the control group did not experience visual error amplification (gain of 1). Error augmentation with a gain of 1.5 enhanced the speed and the amount of motor adaptation, while the highest gain might have decreased the stability of adaptation. As visual feedback is commonly used in balance training, our preliminary data suggest that integrating visual error augmentation in postural exercises may facilitate balance control.
Authors Jemina Fasola, Oliver A Kannape, Mohamed Bouri, Hannes Bleuler and Olaf Blanke
Presentation date: Thursday July 25, 2019, Hall A5 - Level 1 09:30−09:45
Abstract Visual amplification of kinematic errors has successfully been applied to improve performance for upper limb movements. In this study, we investigated whether visual error augmentation can promote faster adaptation during a full-body balance task. Healthy volunteers controlled a cursor by shifting their weight on the THERA-Trainer coro platform. Two experimental groups and one control group were asked to reach visual targets. For the two experimental groups, the cursor’s deviation from the ideal straight line trajectory was augmented by a gain of 1.5 and 2, respectively, while the control group did not experience visual error amplification (gain of 1). Error augmentation with a gain of 1.5 enhanced the speed and the amount of motor adaptation, while the highest gain might have decreased the stability of adaptation. As visual feedback is commonly used in balance training, our preliminary data suggest that integrating visual error augmentation in postural exercises may facilitate balance control.
Authors Jemina Fasola, Oliver A Kannape, Mohamed Bouri, Hannes Bleuler and Olaf Blanke
Presentation date: Thursday July 25, 2019, Hall A5 - Level 1 09:30−09:45