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Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)
Published on: July 30, 2020
Haptic cues for orientation and postural control in sighted and blind individuals
J J Jeka1, R D Easton, B L Bentzen
1Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. jj96@umail.umd.edu
Perception & Psychophysics
|April 1, 1996
Summary
Haptic cues from cane contact improve balance, even with light touch. A slanted cane is more effective than a vertical one, benefiting both sighted and blind individuals.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Neuroscience
- Human Sensory Systems
Background:
- Haptic feedback from surface contact can improve postural control.
- The role of cane use in postural stability, particularly with low-force haptic cues, requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how haptic cues from cane contact with a stationary surface at low force levels aid postural control.
- To compare the effectiveness of light touch versus force contact and vertical versus slanted cane orientations.
- To examine differences in postural control and head displacement between sighted and congenitally blind individuals.
Main Methods:
- Participants maintained a tandem Romberg stance under five conditions: no cane, light touch (vertical/slanted cane), and force contact (vertical/slanted cane).
- Postural sway and head displacement were measured.
- Five sighted (eyes closed) and five congenitally blind subjects participated.
Main Results:
- Light touch cane contact significantly reduced postural sway compared to no cane, similar to force contact.
- A slanted cane orientation was more effective in reducing sway than a vertical orientation.
- Cane use reduced head displacement more in sighted individuals than in blind individuals.
Conclusions:
- Haptic cues from light cane contact are sufficient to enhance postural control.
- Cane orientation significantly impacts its effectiveness for postural stabilization.
- Differences in head displacement suggest a link between gaze stabilization reflexes and postural control in sighted individuals, which is absent in the congenitally blind.
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