How about running on Mars? Influence of sensorimotor coherence on running and spatial perception in simulated reduced...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Human locomotion
• Gravitational effects

Background:

• Motor control, including locomotion, is significantly influenced by gravity.
• Lower-body positive pressure treadmills (LBPPT) allow Earth-based studies of reduced body weight (BW) effects on locomotion.
• Simulating hypogravity environments, like Mars, requires understanding adaptations in locomotion and perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate adaptations to simulated Martian gravity (38% BW) during running using LBPPT.
• To assess the impact of coherent visual flow via virtual reality on running in simulated hypogravity.
• To examine changes in perceived upright and vection under different simulated gravity and visual conditions.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-nine participants ran on an LBPPT under 100% and 38% BW conditions.
• Virtual reality presented coherent visual scenes to assess visual flow effects.
• Running performance (ground reaction forces, accelerations), perceived upright, and vection were measured.

Main Results:

• Reduced BW (38%) led to biomechanical adaptations: decreased active peak force and stance time, increased flight time, independent of visual context.
• Strong inter-individual differences in braking and push-off times emerged at 38% BW.
• Reliance on dynamic visual cues for perceived upright diminished at 38% BW, indicating increased use of egocentric references.
• Vection remained unaffected by visual context at 38% BW, unlike at 100% BW.

Conclusions:

• Locomotor adaptations to reduced BW occur independently of visual context.
• Perceptual systems adjust to hypogravity, showing reduced reliance on visual cues for verticality.
• Locomotor and perceptual adaptations are differentially affected by simulated gravity and visual context.