Abstract
studies have emphasized the contribution of haptic input that results from the use of rigid and non-rigid tools to the postural control system. Experimental protocols such as the light touch and the anchor system are based on individuals' haptic exploration of the environment through direct tactile-kinesthetic contact, or indirectly through rigid or flexible tools that are attached to the body. In this article, we introduce the main findings of humans' haptic use of non-rigid tools during postural control tasks. We illustrate the effects of an anchor system paradigm on the maintenance of stability via haptic information. Haptic anchoring includes the handling of flexible cables that are attached to loads that are in contact with a surface. We include results of studies about haptic information gathered during the holding of a walking dog's leash. Studies that used the anchor system demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing body sway in several groups, including young adults, children, older individuals, and intellectually disabled individuals. We discuss several experimental designs and intervention protocols in order to illustrate how haptic anchoring could prompt functional plasticity. Keywords: haptic perception, postural control, non-rigid tools, anchor system.
Highlights
Defined as an individual’s use of the sense of touch to recognize objects (Klatzky, Lederman, & Metzger, 1985; Lederman & Klatzky, 2009; Loomis & Lederman, 1986), haptic perception is an action-perception system that detects information by dynamically combining input patterns from mechanoreceptors located close to the skin’s surface and mechanoreceptors that are embedded in muscles, tendons, and joints
Haptic perception has evolved to include the detection of time
24 h after finishing the practice phase, the group that used the anchor system 50% of the time maintained their postural control gains, whereas the other two groups returned to their baseline values
Summary
Defined as an individual’s use of the sense of touch to recognize objects (Klatzky, Lederman, & Metzger, 1985; Lederman & Klatzky, 2009; Loomis & Lederman, 1986), haptic perception is an action-perception system that detects information by dynamically combining input patterns from mechanoreceptors located close to the skin’s surface and mechanoreceptors that are embedded in muscles, tendons, and joints (kinesthetic inputs). Haptic perception has evolved to include the detection of time-. This detection of invariants is possible as long as the environment affords possibilities for an action or behavior. The haptic system, via exploratory behavior, picks up information about changes in the relative position or the velocity of a handled object or one connected to moving body parts (patterns of energy) and transforms this “touched” world into a meaningful, functional relationship. During the handling of tools that are used to recover relevant aspects of a medium and surfaces (e.g., surgical instruments used during surgery to capture details about tissue), a system of force patterns (i.e., torque, thrust, and drag)
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