Jenkins



Using two force plates, a video-based motion detection system and eye movement recording, we are investigating “foot driven gaze shifts,” perhaps better known as pivot turns. We are interested in how the eyes, head, trunk, legs and feet all move in a coordinated way to change our orientation in space. How are ground reaction forces generated and transmitted through the body to change our direction of heading? If the torque at the feet exceeds the friction between the foot and the floor, instead of turning, we slip. How is the torque adjusted so this doesn’t happen? When we slip, does the foot rotate about its heel or ball? How do we know when we do slip, and how to we recover from this so that we reach our desired orientation? How do patients with vestibular disorders differ from normals, and how can understanding this help with their rehabilitation? We use a rotating support surface to study perturbations of pivot turns, and can mimic the effects of turning on worlds with less than 1 g of gravity. This project is funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). Return to future studies...