Towering 'body-swap' Robot Exposes The Brain’s Strategy For Staying Upright

What if a robot could show america really nan encephalon keeps america balanced? UBC scientists built 1 – and their find could thief style caller ways to trim autumn consequence for millions of people.

A towering 'body-swap' robot built by University of British Columbia researchers is giving scientists an unprecedented look astatine really nan encephalon keeps america standing-a accomplishment we hardly announcement until affected by property aliases disease.

Their findings, published coming successful Science Robotics pinch collaborators astatine Erasmus Medical Clinic, uncover that to enactment balanced, nan encephalon treats delays successful sensory feedback almost nan aforesaid measurement it handles changes successful assemblage mechanics. In different words, erstwhile it comes to balance, our consciousness of abstraction and clip appears to activity from nan aforesaid playbook.

What's breathtaking is that this opens nan doorway to caller applicable applications. If we understand really nan encephalon copes pinch delays and mechanical changes, we tin creation assistive devices aliases rehab strategies for older adults and moreover build robots that move much for illustration us."

Dr. Jean-Sébastien Blouin, elder writer and professor successful UBC's School of Kinesiology

The physics of a assemblage swap

Standing upright is 1 of nan brain's astir analyzable jobs. Every 2nd it coordinates signals from nan eyes, soul ears and feet to assess, foretell and correct movements against gravity.

Even successful patient adults, equilibrium signals don't get instantly. There's a earthy lag arsenic accusation travels to nan encephalon and backmost to muscles. Aging aliases conditions for illustration diabetic neuropathy and aggregate sclerosis tin worsen these delays, making falls much likely.

"Imagine steering a car erstwhile nan instrumentality responds half a 2nd late," said Dr. Blouin.

Studying really nan encephalon handles these delays has been astir impossible-you can't easy slow nervus signals aliases alteration someone's assemblage mechanics while they're standing.

But nan UBC robotic level can, utilizing a clever instrumentality of physics to alteration really your assemblage feels.

Participants guidelines connected unit plates attached to a backboard driven by high-precision motors. The strategy reproduces nan main forces that govern upright stance: gravity pulling down, inertia resisting movement, and viscosity, nan damping effect of muscles and joints that extremity a thin from turning into a fall, for example.

In existent time, nan robot tweaks these forces. Increasing inertia makes nan assemblage consciousness heavier; higher viscosity acts for illustration a brake, while antagonistic viscosity does nan opposite-like personification giving you a push truthful you autumn faster successful nan guidance you're moving.

The robot tin besides adhd a short delay-about 200 milliseconds, astir nan blink of an eye-by concisely holding your assemblage still aft you effort to move. That region makes your consequence consciousness late, conscionable for illustration erstwhile nervus signals slow down, truthful your equilibrium corrections travel aft you expect them.

"The robot lets america rewrite nan rules your assemblage usually plays by," said Dr. Blouin. "In an instant, you're moving nether a wholly different group of beingness laws-almost for illustration stepping into a different body."

Three tests, 1 large find

The squad ran 3 experiments.

First, they introduced a hold and watched 20 participants sway dramatically, often exceeding nan system's virtual limits, aliases nan constituent wherever they'd person fallen successful existent life.

Next, they tested whether changing assemblage properties could mimic nan aforesaid effect. Lowering inertia aliases applying antagonistic viscosity made participants conscionable arsenic unstable, and galore said it felt akin to balancing pinch nan delay-evidence that nan encephalon interprets abstraction and clip successful overlapping ways.

Finally, they flipped nan problem: could adjusting assemblage mechanics thief compensate for delays? They brought successful 10 caller participants who had ne'er knowledgeable nan machine, and subjected them to a delay. When nan robot boosted inertia and viscosity, participants instinctively regained control. Their sway dropped by arsenic overmuch arsenic 80 percent and astir did not fall.

"We were amazed that adding inertia and viscosity could partially cancel nan instability caused by precocious feedback," said lead writer Paul Belzner, a erstwhile UBC kinesiology master's student.

What this intends for preventing falls

Falls are 1 of nan astir superior wellness risks for older adults, often robbing group of their independency and costing Canada's health-care strategy complete $5 cardinal each year.

When nervus signals slow, there's nary elemental measurement to velocity them up. "That's what makes our findings truthful exciting," said Dr. Blouin. "It suggests we tin thief successful different way-by giving nan assemblage a mini mechanical boost that makes equilibrium easier for nan brain."

Future devices could see wearables that adhd gentle guidance erstwhile personification starts to sway aliases robotic trainers that thatch patients to accommodate to slower feedback. The aforesaid insights could moreover thief engineers creation steadier humanoid robots.

The UBC robot will soon move into UBC's caller Gateway wellness building, wherever researchers astatine nan UBC Balance and Falls Research Centre, School of Kinesiology, School of Biomedical Engineering, and Centre for Aging SMART will usage it to beforehand fall-prevention technologies and support healthier aging.

The robot was engineered and validated astatine nan UBC School of Kinesiology successful nan module of acquisition pinch backing from nan Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and nan UBC School of Kinesiology Equipment and Research Accelerator Fund.