Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

It is becoming increasingly clear that theories of brain function based on simple measures, such as saccadic eye movements or button presses, fail to capture the full capabilities of our motor systems. Furthermore, many of our own actions are determined in response to the actions of others. Currently, assessment of human actions is typically performed in dedicated laboratories devoted to the study of a single subject, often making a single movement, in a fairly constrained and contrived fashion. To better understand the real-world capabilities of the human motor system, funds are requested to construct a mobile laboratory that will permit integrated, multifaceted measurement of human behavior from one or more actors. The requested equipment will fundamentally change how human sensori-motor behaviour is studied, moving such study into a less constrained configuration suitable for studying naturalistic behaviours.The components of this mobile laboratory include i) an eye tracker (EyeLink II, SR Research) enabling high temporal and spatial resolution of eye position and pupil diameter, ii) a limb tracking system for measurement of limb and/or head motion (Polhemus Liberty), iii) force transducers for measurement of grip force, iv) an electromyographic (EMG) system for measuring muscle activity via either surface or intramuscular approaches (Delsys Bagnoli-8), which will also incorporate a portable ultrasound for confirmation of recording location, and a muscle stimulator to introduce motor noise, and v) the computing and hardware infrastructure needed to ensure experimental control and synchronization amongst all data sources. All of these components will be mounted in a mobile rack, ensuring that this laboratory can be rapidly and seamlessly deployed either as a stand-alone system, or integrated with existing experimental laboratories. An emphasis on mobility, flexibility, and ease-of-setup will facilitate collaborations both locally amongst the applicants, and with colleagues at Western and other Canadian Institutions.