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Human Sense of Balance

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Humanoid Robotics: A Reference

Abstract

This overview describes human posture control mechanisms combining biomechanics with neural control and sensory feedback aspects. The control enables humans to automatically balance during standing and walking in the presence of external disturbances such as gravity. Understanding postural mechanisms is important for identifying and treating balance disorders in patients and elderly subjects and for construction of therapeutic and rehabilitation devices. The overview describes the most relevant sensors for balancing and their use in two complementary dynamic control models of perturbed stance. The first model rigorously analyzes human reactive sway behavior and describes it as the effect of feedback from the vestibular, proprioception, and visual sensors and extant sensory reweighting rules. The second model combines posture control with movement execution control, using fusion of sensory signals to estimate and compensate external and self-produced disturbances.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, University Clinics, Breisacherstrasse 64, 79106, Freiburg, Breisgau, Germany

    Thomas Mergner

  2. Department of Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon, USA

    Robert J. Peterka

  3. National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon, USA

    Robert J. Peterka

Authors
  1. Thomas Mergner
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  2. Robert J. Peterka
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Correspondence to Thomas Mergner .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Intuitive Surgical , Sunnyvale, California, USA

    Ambarish Goswami

  2. Singapore, Singapur, Singapore

    Prahlad Vadakkepat

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Mergner, T., Peterka, R.J. (2017). Human Sense of Balance. In: Goswami, A., Vadakkepat, P. (eds) Humanoid Robotics: A Reference. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7194-9_37-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7194-9_37-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7194-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7194-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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