COMPUTER-CONTROLLED MANIPULATOR DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR HUMAN-MOVEMENT STUDIES

A manipulator/display system which is used in studies on visual and proprioceptive feedback in human arm movements is presented. A very flexible design was obtained by using a linear hydraulic motor, the dynamics of which are controlled by a PDP 11/23 minicomputer. In this way, a large number of different experimental conditions can easily be programmed into a sequence which defines experiments with online variations of manipulator and display properties. The manipulator system and the display generation are discussed together with the control software of the experiments. The measurement system combines a high degree of reproducibility, accuracy and data integrity with safe operation and ease of use.