Development and Pilot of a Human Motor Control Study Using Haptic Robotics

Abstract

This thesis details the efforts to develop a novel robotic device capable of being used in lower extremity motor control research. Chapter 1 covers background information and introduces the research questions. Chapter 2 focuses on development, which can be separated into hardware, software, and experimental design development. Emphasis has been placed on suggested future development opportunities to guide future researchers. Chapter 3 is devoted to a viscous curl reaching pilot study using human subjects to determine if the device can produce the desired outcomes. Pilot study results suggest further development is required before the device can be used for full motor control studies. Immediate next steps in development are increasing data acquisition speed and the elimination of inertial effects due to the robotic linkage. Another opportunity for immediate development is the creation of software to run non-reaching studies.