Gaze behavior of healthy young individuals navigating in a community environment

Abstract

Introduction Independent community walking relies heavily on the sense of vision and involves locomotor adaptations (i.e. changes in speed and direction) that are essential to avoid hazards in the environment (e.g. obstacles). In this project, we are examining gaze behavior and body kinematics as healthy individuals ambulate and avoid other pedestrians in a living lab representing a community environment. To characterize gaze behavior and kinematic strategies during obstacle circumvention while walking in a community environment. Material and methods Twelve healthy young individuals (18–29 yrs) were assessed while walking towards a target with different exposures to static and moving obstacles in Alexis Nihon Mall in Montreal. Kinematics and temporal distance factors were assessed with wearable sensors (APDM) while gaze behavior was recorded with an eye-tracker (Tobii Pro 2). Results Preliminary data analysis (n = 3) indicate that looming vs. receding pedestrians were looked at a closer distance and less frequently, for shorter duration but they yield higher relative gaze fixation duration. Also, right vs. left pedestrians were looked at a further distance. Conclusion Results suggest that looming pedestrians, while present for shorter duration, impose a greater risk of collision. Results further suggest a possible lateralization of attention and maintenance of personal space during collision avoidance. Collectively, present findings will help better understand how visual information is used for obstacle negotiation in a community environment and will serve as a basis for comparison to understand community walking challenges experienced by older adults and individuals with a physical disability.