Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Avoiding moving obstacles.

M Pilar Aivar1, Eli Brenner, Jeroen B J Smeets

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Dr Molewaterplein 50, 3015 GE Rotterdam, The Netherlands. mariapilar.aivar@uam.es

Experimental Brain Research
|July 17, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Orchestrating gameplay in Dutch physical education: how and why teachers regulate task difficulty.

Frontiers in sports and active living·2026
Same author

Hold it there! Dynamic adjustment of fixation duration in visual search tasks.

Journal of vision·2026
Same author

Detecting gaze shifts of moving observers in dynamic environments.

Behavior research methods·2026
Same author

Perceptual grouping can affect the online control of goal-directed hand movements.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same author

Evaluating lawful relationships in saccadic eye movements with simulated vision impairment: A proof-of-concept study.

Journal of vision·2026
Same author

Intercepting moving targets: does the visuomotor latency depend on whether one taps on the target or slides through it?

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Molecular links between reelin downregulation, topoisomerase IIβ alterations, and proteins involved in Alzheimer pathology in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Motor cortex excitability during spine shape-judgment in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a TMS motor evoked potential study.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Trajectory dynamics and endpoint accuracy in targeted ballistic contractions.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Exploring Sevoflurane promotes hippocampal neuron mitophagy in elderly postoperative cognitive dysfunction by HSP90AA1 based on network pharmacology.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Loading modulates monosynaptic transmission from spindle primary afferents to motoneurons in humans.

Experimental brain research·2026
Same journal

Energy-dependent cortical injury thresholds in high-frequency transcortical electrical stimulation: a biophysical study in a rat model.

Experimental brain research·2026
See all related articles

Humans react quickly to changing obstacle positions, but these are often automatic responses to motion, not true adjustments. Our brains prioritize speed in movement guidance, sometimes at the cost of accuracy when avoiding obstacles.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Reaching tasks require dynamic adjustments to avoid obstacles.
  • Human hand movements adapt to changes in target or limb position with ~120 ms latency.
  • Adaptation to changing obstacle positions remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the latency of human hand movement adjustments in response to changes in obstacle position.
  • To differentiate between direct reactions to motion and true adjustments to obstacle displacement.

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed reaching tasks with dynamic obstacles.
  • Movement kinematics were analyzed to determine response latencies.
  • Obstacle position changes were introduced to assess adaptive responses.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Quick hand responses (~120 ms) to obstacle motion were observed.
  • These rapid responses primarily reflected direct reactions to surrounding motion, not obstacle position changes.
  • True adjustments to altered obstacle positions occurred at significantly longer latencies (~200 ms), even when predictable.

Conclusions:

  • The brain prioritizes rapid, reactive movements for obstacle avoidance, likely to prevent collisions under time pressure.
  • This rapid processing comes at the expense of immediate, accurate adjustments to the obstacle's new location.
  • Movement guidance systems may favor speed over precision in dynamic environments.