A three-component model of the control error in manual tracking of continuous random signals.

Objective: The performance of human operators acting within closed-loop control systems is investigated in a classic tracking task. The dependence of the control error (tracking error) on the parameters display gain, k(display), and input signal frequency bandwidth, f(g), which alter task difficulty and presumably the control delay, is studied with the aim of functionally specifying it via a model.

Background: The human operator as an element of a cascaded human-machine control system (e.

Dual-tasking: Is manual tapping independent of concurrently executed saccades?

Maintaining both spatial and temporal accuracy of concurrent motor actions is a challenging behavioral requirement in multi-tasking, where possible resource bottlenecks may become apparent when these units are shared between tasks. This study addresses the question of whether periodic self-paced finger movements (tapping) compulsorily interact with concurrently executed saccades, because they share some common neural control pathways. We employed a dual-task paradigm which was previously used to demonstrate strong interference between independent but concurrently conducted bimanual tapping tasks (Wachter, C.

Coordination of a discrete response with periodic finger tapping: additional experimental aspects for a subtle mechanism.

The authors investigated the coordination of periodic right-hand tapping with single stimulus-evoked discrete lefthand taps to check for task interactions and a possible relationship between phase resetting (see tapping literature; e.g., J.

Comparative study of event-synchronous interference cancelling methods.

In case of a periodic disturbing signal as a "noise", special solutions for noise reduction can be applied. In literature, an adaptive noise canceller modification was proposed for this case by Strobach et al. [5] and applied by several other researchers.

Motor timing and more--additional options using advanced registration and evaluation of tapping data.

Motor coordination in multi-tasking situations is relevant to everyday life, since numerous daily activities require the performance of more than one task simultaneously. Investigations into this topic often use dual-task experiments like bimanual tapping, with different instructions for the right and left hands, such as to tap repetitively with the right index finger at a given frequency and to concurrently execute a single tap in response to a go signal with the left index finger. A basic experimental set-up for tapping consists of only a pace signal generator and ground contact sensors such as micro switches for observation of motor action.

Steps towards a miniaturized, robust and autonomous measurement device for the long-term monitoring of patient activity: ActiBelt.

We describe the first steps in the development of a wearable measurement device for measuring a subject's three-dimensional acceleration. The ultimate aim is a standard measurement instrument integrated in a belt buckle that allows objective evaluation of treatment and rehabilitation measures in patients, in particular for disabling chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis. In a first step we combined standard hardware elements to record test data from healthy volunteers.

A method for locating gradual changes in time series.

A variation to the change-point problem is addressed. The classical problem involves locating abrupt changes in the mean value of a signal. In contrast, a generalisation to gradual changes with constant speed is considered, which frequently occurs in biomedical signal-processing tasks.