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SUMMARY:Control of balance during human walking
DTSTART:20150130T140000
DTSTAMP:20260925T073450Z
UID:b28598cbfe85f6fb38785d05e100a82593dfe99d50f73e79d18d73e3
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Art Kuo\, University of Michigan\nHumans walk quite easi
 ly in their everyday surroundings\, seemingly with little conscious effort
 . But even a small step up or down in the floor height can easily cause a 
 person to stumble or fall if they are inattentive\, or if the floor is poo
 rly lit. Bipedal robots are also similarly sensitive to the terrain they w
 alk on. In humans\, vision and other sensors play a key role in maintenanc
 e of balance. But it is not known what control law they enforce\, nor is i
 t clear what complexity is entailed in the control\, however unconscious i
 t may seem.\nWe will use the dynamics of walking as a means to tackle thes
 e questions. We will show that the dynamics of the limbs can contribute to
  some degree of self-stability\, especially with some aid from neuromuscul
 ar dynamics. But even with these self-stabilizing properties\, some aspect
 s of balance appear to require active control and good sensing of the body
 's orientation and expected footfall location. We will examine evidence fo
 r such control\, and discuss the simplest ways that balance might be contr
 olled. This may provide insight on how the human nervous system handles ba
 lance\, as well as the challenges that future bipedal robots might face.\n
 Bio: Art Kuo is Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at the 
 University of Michigan. His research interests are in human walking\, bala
 nce and other movements\, using engineering principles to bridge between m
 echanics and biology. He directs the Human Biomechanics and Control Labora
 tory\, which pursues research topics such as design of prosthetic limbs\, 
 neural control of muscles\, sensorimotor integration for balance\, energet
 ics of walking\, mobility of older and impaired individuals\, and robot lo
 comotion.\nHe attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.S
 . Electrical Engineering)\, and then Stanford University (Ph.D. Mechanical
  Engineering. At the University of Michigan\, he teaches courses in dynami
 cs and systems & control.
LOCATION:BC 420 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==BC%20420
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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