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Retinal optic flow during natural locomotion.

Jonathan Samir Matthis¹, Karl S Muller², Kathryn L Bonnen³

¹Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Plos Computational Biology

|February 22, 2022

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Visualizing optic flow during walking reveals how the brain stabilizes gaze using the vestibular-ocular-reflex (VOR). This research uncovers how retinal flow patterns inform locomotion control, especially on complex terrain.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biomechanics
Computer Vision

Background:

Natural locomotion involves complex head movements, necessitating gaze stabilization mechanisms like the vestibular-ocular-reflex (VOR).
Without effective gaze stabilization, visual heading perception would fluctuate significantly during walking.
Fixating on environmental points stabilizes retinal image motion, creating informative optic flow patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the structure of retinal visual motion during natural locomotion.
To investigate how optic flow patterns inform locomotion control and body trajectory.
To re-evaluate the role of optic flow in controlling actions during natural behavior.

Main Methods:

Analyzing retinal flow velocity vector fields using curl and divergence operations.

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Measuring the structure of outflowing patterns on the retina during fixation.

Examining eye-movement-free, head-centered flow fields.

Main Results:

Foveal curl in retinal flow indicates body trajectory relative to the gaze point.
Maximum divergence in the retinal flow field specifies the walker's instantaneous velocity/momentum vector.
Head-centered flow fields exhibit temporal variations that may impede steering.

Conclusions:

Retinal flow patterns contain higher-order structures informative about eye trajectory.
Retinotopic cues derived from optic flow can provide visual control signals for locomotion over complex terrain.
Optic flow analysis suggests a revised understanding of its role in action control during natural locomotion.