Open AccessHaptic contact with a walking dog improves human balance during a quiet tandem task with various levels of difficulty
Author(s) -
Eliane Mauerberg-deCastro,
Gabriella Andreeta Figueiredo,
Thayna P. Iasi,
Debra Frances Campbell,
Renato Moraes
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
brazilian journal of motor behavior/brazilian journal of motor behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2446-4902
pISSN - 1980-5586
DOI - 10.20338/bjmb.v15i3.245
Subject(s) - haptic technology , treadmill , quiet , balance (ability) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , task (project management) , simulation , posturography , force platform , centre of pressure , computer science , psychology , physical therapy , medicine , physics , engineering , systems engineering , quantum mechanics
BACKGROUND: When a person walks a dog, information from variables of their own postural control is integrated with haptic information from the dog’s movements (e.g., direction, speed of movement, pulling forces).AIM: We examined how haptic information provided through contact with a moving endpoint (here, the leash of a dog walking on a treadmill) influenced an individual’s postural control during a quiet tandem standing task with and without restricted vision and under various elevations of the support surface (increased task difficulty levels).METHOD: Adults performed a 30-second quiet tandem stance task on a force platform while holding a leash attached to a dog who walked on a treadmill parallel to the force platform. Conditions included: haptic contact (dog and no-dog), vision constraint (eyes open, EO, and eyes closed, EC), and surfaces (4 heights).RESULTS: Interaction between haptic condition and vision showed that contact with the dog leash reduced root mean square (RMS) and mean sway speed (MSS). RMS showed that the highest surface had the greatest rate of sway reduction during haptic contact with EC, and an increase with EO.CONCLUSION: The dog’s movements were used as a haptic reference to aid balance when eyes were closed. In this condition, contact with the dog’s leash reduced the extent of sway variability on the higher surfaces.