Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Humans reach out and grasp objects with amazing accuracy. Whether we are picking up a cup of coffee, driving a car, or working on a computer, almost every action we make is guided and checked by vision. Where we look is not random, but rather an active process by the visual system to seek out information relevant to the task at hand. Historically, most investigations of eye-hand coordination have involved reaching out to pick up simple, stationary blocks. This research has moved us towards a better understanding of how the systems controlling perception and action interact, but does not properly capture the complex dynamics of the perceptual and motor interactions seen in our everyday lives. Modern applications like gaming and robotics are increasingly relying on natural movements in dynamic visual scenes. An understanding of how the brain solves these complex scenarios would have immediate practical implications. Dr. Marotta and his lab at the University of Manitoba take an innovative, ecologically focused approach that better reflects the dynamic nature of the interactions between perception and action by utilizing paradigms that investigate a wide range of factors including not just vision but proprioception (the perception of the movements and position of the body), and not just grip formation but object lifting. To study how vision is used to control the movements of the hand and arm, Dr. Marotta uses specialized motion-tracking systems that follow where the eyes are looking while simultaneously recording the path of the arm, hand, and fingers during a reach. Over the next 5 years, he and his team will (1) determine how the expected movement of a target influences where we look and how we grasp, (2) evaluate the effects of the availability and timing of visual information on visually guided action and, (3) investigate not only how we utilize visual information but also perception of the body's movements to guide our actions. This fundamental research will provide a clearer understanding of what information we use, and when we use it, to select where we look at and grasp an object providing us with critical insight into how the brain is responsible for this important skill. By including more of our lived experiences into investigations of perception and action, Dr. Marotta's research will create new ecologically focused pathways to research. This research will have applications for gaming development, sports training, the military and spaceflight. It will also assist in the creation of more efficient control systems for robotics, particularly when information about an object has to be determined without assistance from the operator (e.g. devices for the blind or physically impaired). Dr. Marotta provides his trainees with skills needed to lead the advancement of our understanding of perception and action, and to supply robotics engineers with information needed to develop systems to work in the real world.