The rapid and detailed recognition of human action from point-light displays is a remarkable ability and very robust against masking by motion signals. However, recognition of biological motion is strongly impaired when the typical point lights are replaced by pictures of complex objects. In a reaction time task and a detection in noise task, we asked subjects to decide if the walking direction...

This pilot study examines the effects of Tai Chi on balance, gait and mobility in people with Parkinson disease (PD). Thirty-three people with PD were randomly assigned to either a Tai Chi group or a control group. The Tai Chi group participated in 20 1-h long training sessions completed within 10-13 weeks; whereas, the control group had two testing sessions between 10 and 13 weeks apart withou...

Recent models have proposed a two-stage process of biological motion recognition. First, template or snapshot neurons estimate the body form. Then, motion is estimated from body form change. This predicts separate aftereffects for body form and body motion. We tested this prediction. Observers viewing leftward- or rightward-facing point-light walkers that walked forward or backward subsequently...

There are many occasions where non-rhythmic stepping (NRS) is more desirable than normal walking. This can be observed in performing tasks in a narrow work space. For this purpose NRS is considered as a variation of curved path walking. Four types of local adjustment are dealt with: forward, backward, lateral stepping, and turnaround. In the lower body motion, the trajectory of the hip, angular...

1. Head-bobbing of pigeons during walking and landing was studied using high-speed motion photography. 2. The analysis of film records indicated that head-bobbing whilst walking consists of two phases: one where the head is 'locked' in space but moves backward relative to its forward moving body; and another where it is thrust rapidly forward to a new position. 3. The fact that head-bobbing is ...

We have recently described a postural aftereffect of walking onto a stationary platform previously experienced as moving, which occurs despite full knowledge that the platform will no longer move. This experiment involves an initial baseline period, when the platform is kept stationary (BEFORE condition), followed by a brief adaptation period when subjects learn to walk onto the platform moving...

Funding: The study was not supported by specific funding. The Institute for Research in Rehabilitation (IRR) is financially supported by the State of Valais, the City of Sion, the Clinique Romande de Réadaptation, and the Swiss accident insurance company SUVA. Abstract Local dynamic stability (LDS) quantifies how a system responds to small perturbations. Several experimental and clinical findin...

Walking motions of biped robots have features of humanoid and intelligent. Generally, when we human are walking, we may control the walking motions using qualitative instructions, such as linguistic “slow” or “fast,” “forward” or “backward,” “big step” or “small step”. This motivates us to design a fuzzy controller for biped robots. Furthermore, to improve the robustness of the biped walking sy...

The arms have been shown to be involved in the regulation of balance during walking. The use of a walking aid enhances balance by increasing the base of support and reducing the load on the legs by partly transferring it to the arms. However, when actively engaged during a balance task, perturbations to the arms can destabilize balance. Previous studies have investigated postural adjustments as...

We examined if physical exercise interventions were effective to reduce cognitive brain resources recruited while performing motor control tasks in older adults. Forty-three older adults (63-79 years of age) participated in either a walking (n = 17) or a motor coordination (n = 15) intervention (1 year, 3 times per week) or were assigned to a control group (n = 11) doing relaxation and stretchi...