Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026
Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace
Published on: August 8, 2019
Immediate tool incorporation processes determine human motor planning with tools
G Ganesh1, T Yoshioka2, R Osu2
11] Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Osaka University Campus, Suita 5650871, Japan [2] CNRS-AIST JRL (Joint Robotics Laboratory), UMI3218/CRT, Intelligent Systems Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Tsukuba Central 2, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan.
Tools immediately alter our body perception, shortening perceived limb length for better motor planning. This contrasts with longer-term tool use, which slowly elongates body representation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Robot Interaction
Background:
- Human tool use relies on incorporating tools into body representation.
- Existing models explain extended tool use but not immediate motor adjustments when switching tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate immediate tool incorporation effects on motor planning.
- To understand how tools influence body representation in the short term.
Main Methods:
- Two novel experiments were designed to assess immediate tool incorporation.
- Participants' perceived limb lengths were measured during tool use.
Main Results:
- Tools immediately induced a trial-by-trial, length-dependent shortening of perceived limb length.
- This immediate effect was opposite to the elongation observed after extended tool use.
Conclusions:
- Tools exert a dual effect on body representation: immediate shortening for new tool motor planning and slow elongation with skill acquisition.
- Immediate body representation changes are crucial for adapting motor behavior to novel tools.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Hierarchy of Motor Control
01:11Direct Motor Pathways
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and...